


Permafrost

by orphan_account, Trousersquid



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Anna tried, Awkward Flirting, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Girl Penis, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, Well that happened., g!p honeymaren/elsa, just talk to each other!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21926485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trousersquid/pseuds/Trousersquid
Summary: Shortly after freeing the forest and learning that she is the 5th spirit, Elsa continues to struggle with keeping her feelings and emotions under control. Or maybe it's finally time to let it go?Takes place immediately after Frozen 2
Relationships: Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Comments: 69
Kudos: 508





	1. Chapter 1

"So, you'll stay with us, then?" Honeymaren said as she watched Anna follow the others back to Arendelle. Her heart leapt in her chest, filled with hope that this was really and truly happening. "We've gotten plenty of room, especially now that the fog has lifted."

Elsa turned to face Honeymaren, her heart leaping and breaking a little in her chest. She knew she belonged in the Enchanted Forest, but she had never gone a day without Anna in her life, with the exception of the time when she locked herself away in her Ice Palace. She sniffled quietly, instantly freezing the tears that threatened to fall before Honeymaren noticed. She looked over at Honeymaren a moment and then turned to the elderly woman standing to her right "Yes, if it is permissible with you, Yelena, then I would like that indeed. I would like to learn more about my mother's people. However, there are some things I need to do in Arendelle first, but I promise, I will return when I finish my business."

Yelena nodded "Of course, take your time, we are not going anywhere."

Honeymaren nodded with a smile, "Yes, of course. We'll prepare a place for you for when you get back, right, Yelena?" She was a little sad it wasn't immediate, but of course she was going to have to wrap things up in Arendelle. "We'll see you when you return. Thanks again, for, you know... Saving the forest."

Elsa smiled "After what my grandfather did, it was the least I could do. I hope to work with you to repair the relationship with the spirits and the forest."

Honeymaren nodded, "I'm sure we can work something out..." She chuckled, trying to play it cool. "You're only the fifth spirit of the forest and all..."

Yelena looked between the two young women and coughed awkwardly, excusing herself "I'll just be... anywhere but here."

Honeymaren rubbed her arm, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. "How long do you think you'll be? Just so we know when to plan on having your new place built."

Elsa felt heat rising in her cheeks, quickly looking to the ground as she tried to drop her inner temperature. "It will probably be a month or so. I don't want to abdicate the throne right away, the people of Arendelle will need a little stability for such a big transition"

"A month sounds perfect. Plenty of time to build." She nodded, fully intending to take the project on herself. "I guess we'll see you in a month or so then."

Elsa finally looked up and smiled at her "a month" she promised. She summoned Nokk and turned the water horse to ice so it could move on land, then she gracefully hopped up and pressed her hand to its neck. Without warning, the powerful water spirit took off at full gallop, though she rode with ease, the wind whipping through her hair, causing her cape to flow behind her like wings. For the first time in her life she felt free, she had found somewhere she finally belonged.

Honeymaren watched her, her mouth agape. How was it possible for someone to be so beautiful, so strong, and so magical all at once? As she watched her ride off, she realized that her pants were growing a bit too tight. She quickly made herself turn away and head back to camp, trying to walk it off.

Transitioning the queenly responsibilities from Elsa to Anna had gone amazingly smoothly. The people of Arendelle already loved Anna and she had a slight inkling that they were happy to have her step down. While she had worked hard to earn their trust during her three years as Queen, she knew her power still made them uncomfortable. She also knew that having a magical queen put a target on Arendelle's back. It was best for everyone. And she was only a half day Nokk ride away if Anna needed anything. She couldn't have been prouder to see her little sister step up into her new role with such grace and yet, still very Anna-like. 

After a month she said her goodbye's and headed back to the forest. As she got closer, her anxiety started to rise but she couldn't pinpoint the cause. Nokk seemed to notice her change in demeanor and snorted at her, effectively knocking her out of her funk and clearing her mind "Thank you" she whispered quietly as they crested the hill, looking down on the Northuldra village. She was looking for someone in particular, though she didn't want to admit it.

"Hey, you're back!" Ryder trotted up to her with a grin. "Lookin' for something? Or someone?" he raised an eyebrow.

Elsa snorted and hopped down "No, I was just trying to figure out which one of the tents was mine. Honey... I mean, Honeymaren said they were going to build one for me?"

Honeymaren had thrown herself into her task. She'd hand-dyed the leather that made up the outside of her hut, adding in the snowflake motifs with the elements as well as her central diamond included. She set furs out along the ground for warmth and comfort, assuming the latter was more important. She'd even carved into the posts to personalize them. She spent a little time every day working on it, even if the majority of it was done she still wanted to personalize it, to make it hers. She'd made her a blanket, a few pillows as well. Today, she was working on making her a travel sack, sitting in front of the home she'd made for her (conveniently right near her own home).

Ryder chuckled at Elsa, "She's been working on pretty much nothing else since you left."

Elsa blushed hot "Oh, she has? Ermm... that's really nice of her. She said that it was going to be a group project though. I should do something to thank her."

Ryder shrugged, "I think just seeing you enjoy your new place will be enough for her, but don't let that stop ya." He led her into camp, but he didn't even have to point out her hut. "Hey, sis!" He waved to Honeymaren.

Honeymaren looked up and began to wave, but she froze when she saw who walked beside him. _Oh spirits give me strength..._ She got to her feet and waved, trying to look casual. "Hi there! Welcome back!"

Elsa's eyes widened when she saw the hut, her mouth hung slightly agape. It was so beautifully decorated and expertly crafted "Wow... you... you really outdid yourself" she managed. She noticed that her new tent was positioned just a stone's throw away from Honeymaren's own tent. Not that she minded. _Wait, what?_

Honeymaren grinned, practically drunk off the look on Elsa's face. "I mean, I did have some help with the heavy lifting in the beginning..." She waved a hand, but smiled at her hopefully. "You really like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" Elsa ran forward, getting on her hands and knees as she stuck her head inside to look around, running her hands against the soft furs that lined the floor. Sure, she had once had a whole castle, but something about this, it just felt right. The castle had stood before her and would do so long after her and she just happened to live in it for a time. But this? It was _made_ for her. 

Ryder turned to his sister "stop looking at her butt." he whispered quietly, noticing her stare.

Honeymaren grinned so wide that she felt like her face might get stuck that way. "I'm really glad!" She blushed as Ryder called her out and elbowed him, but he wasn't wrong. Exactly. She'd been admiring all of Elsa. Not just her butt.

After a moment, Elsa pulled her head out and grinned broadly at Honeymaren "Thank you!"

Ryder just grinned and gently shoved her and gave her his classic awkward thumbs up before calling out loudly "I'll just go check on the reindeer... in the pastures... far away."

Elsa stood up and gave Ryder a quirked eyebrow but didn't question him "Seriously, there must be something I can do to repay your kindness."

Honeymaren tried to pretend that wasn't as awkward as it has been. She walked up to Elsa with a brave smile, "No need. Consider it thanks for freeing the forest and righting the spirits... So, I should probably tell you that it's tradition to greet one of our own after they've been away with a welcome dinner. I hope you don't mind, I'll bet Yelena is already arranging it..."

Elsa blushed and tensed up a little "That... ummm... okay." Despite being used to having all of the attention on her for the last three years, this felt strange and she wasn't sure how she felt about it, she still felt like an outsider, like a guest "You consider me one of your own already?"

"Of course." Honeymaren smiled, "Don't worry, you don't have to give a speech or anything... It's just a fun excuse to cook our favorite dishes and be together, all as one. Yelena might even tell some of our people's stories."

“Oh... that’s good.” Elsa relaxed a little, setting down her mental pen as she was already preparing a speech in her head “so... um... I’m not a very good cook. Maybe... maybe you could show me? I’d like to contribute something. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming!”

Honeymaren smiled and nodded, "I think they'd all love to have you involved in the cooking. At the very least, we can take up pot stirring duty. That's pretty simple." She reached for her hand, "C'mon!"

Elsa blushed hot, her usually cool skin warmed several degrees. She looked at Honeymaren’s hand for a moment before slipping her own against her warm and calloused palm.

Honeymaren didn't realize what she'd done until Elsa's hand was in hers and _OH_ . She wasn't about to back out of it though, _this was what she'd hoping for, right?_ She led her to the main gathering area, already being greeted by delicious smells. "Oh! Stew! Perfect, you'll love it, and we can stir!" The giant clay pot hung over the fire pit, being tended to by some of the other Northuldra, who greeted Elsa with broad smiles, "Welcome!" "We're so pleased you're back!"

Elsa smiled awkwardly at everyone, holding tight to Honeymaren’s hand for comfort. She wasn’t used to physical contact with someone else, especially not her hands. Even as a child she rarely hugged her own parents. But this... this felt fine. Safe. Like she was in control of her powers with Honeymaren grounding her. The feeling lasted only a few seconds before her anxiety crept back in. She focused on her breathing, not wanting to turn the other woman into a 5’6” popsicle. “Right... stew. Stirring.”

Honeymaren smiled at the man tending to the pot. "We'll take stirring duty, Lehan. But I promise we won't mess with the seasonings." 

Lehan nodded, offering them both the handles of the two large wooden spoons in the pot. "I'll hold you to that, Maren..."

Elsa settled herself on her knees and looked into the pot. It smelled amazing, though she was unfamiliar with any of the ingredients she could see. Carefully she moved her spoon around, barely skimming the surface, trying not to fling the contents out “like this?”

Honeymaren giggled to herself, "Well, it's a little more like this..." She demonstrated with long strokes that reached all the way to the bottom of the pot, making sure everything inside kept moving. "The goal is to keep it moving just enough that it all cooks evenly."

Elsa watched her intently, trying to mimic her movements. She usually furrowed her brow or bit at her lower lip when she concentrated. At this moment she was doing both. She looked over at Honeymaren, at first to confirm she was using proper stirring technique but then she found herself staring, the firelight casting a radiant glow on her skin, soft flames reflecting in her light brown eyes. She stopped stirring.

Honeymaren tried her best to focus on stirring, but she couldn't help notice that Elsa's spoon had stopped moving. She glanced over at her and felt her gaze on her, which only served to send a pleasant shiver down her body. "Hi." She chuckled softly.

Elsa blinked quickly and looked at a particularly interesting rock by her foot, embarrassed at having been caught staring. She didn’t notice the thin layer of frost started to form on the handle of her spoon. “Oh!” she exclaimed when she saw the handle and quickly let go of the spoon.

Honeymaren looked to the spoon and reached out to take it, "It's alright." She flashed her a smile. "Why don't you just keep me company? Usually only one person stirs anyways."

Elsa nodded quietly, pulling her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She didn’t want to lose control. She couldn’t lose control... “Maybe that’s best. I’m not exactly used to doing things for myself. Baby steps, right?”

"Baby steps." Honeymaren agreed, "This is all probably going to take a bit of time to adjust to. There's nothing wrong with that." She smiled, keeping at her stirring.

Elsa blushed, Honeymaren was so kind and patient. “So... what other tasks are there that I might learn?”

"Anything you want. I could teach you how we take care of the reindeer sometime! But for tonight, let's see..." She looked around, "You could help butcher the meat, but I don't think that's something you'd enjoy... Oh, you could help cut vegetables?"

Elsa wrinkled her nose at the thought of handling raw meat. Maybe something to work up to. “Vegetables, I could do that, I think.”

Honeymaren nodded, looking over her shoulder until she spotted who she was looking for. "Ah! Yes, go see Areia back there, she'll show you the ropes."

Elsa nodded and got up, reluctantly leaving Honeymaren but she also wanted to give back to the tribe. Besides she had all the time in the world now. No meetings. No delegations. No holding court... all that was Anna’s burden now.


	2. Chapter 2

Turned out that vegetable cutting was much easier for Elsa to handle. It helped that she had to focus on her knife (which she fashioned from her ice) and cutting. There was no room to let her mind wander to a particular brunette by the cooking spit. After a few minutes she showed Areia her progress “is this good?”

Areia looked over her veggies with a discerning gaze. "Mmm... They will do. I'll teach you better cutting technique if this is something you'd like to do more often."

Elsa smiled and handed her tray over to Areia “I think I would like that. I plan on trying to learn everything but once I find something I’m particularly good at, I’ll maybe stick with that.”

Areia nodded with a smile, "We'll be happy to teach you anything you want to learn." She took the veggies into a bowl, "Want to do the honors?" She gestured to the pot, where Honeymaren still stirred.

“What?” Elsa blinked, taking a moment to realize what Areia was saying “Oh, right, you mean put them in the soup?”

Areia smiled patiently and nodded.

Elsa got up and gently took the bowl of vegetables from Areia. She stared at the ground with purpose as she returned to Honeymaren, worried that if she looked up she would trip on a root. Or worse, start staring again. Only after she saw the edge of the fire circle come into her periphery did she look up. “Vegetables were a good call.”

Honeymaren looked up when she heard Elsa's voice, her heart fluttering all over again. "Nicely done!" She smiled, admiring her sliced veggies. "Toss 'em in."

"Uh, yeah... those are the ones Areia did... mine are on the bottom." Elsa blushed, quickly tossing in the contents before Honeymaren could see her uneven edges and jagged cuts. "But they should taste fine, I hope. I'm just glad I could contribute something." she set the bowl down and hugged her knees like she did before "So... what was it like, growing up here?"

Honeymaren smiled, "Don't sell yourself short, Areia has been doing this for years on years, only one or two people have ever met her standards for knife work..." She hummed as she stirred, thinking. "Well, I've pretty much only ever known living in the mist. It wasn't bad, mostly because I didn't know how much better it could be. Being in the sun, being able to take the reindeer grazing out in the open fields is amazing... Sorry, I guess that didn't really answer your question."

Elsa felt a huge pang of guilt in her stomach. While she had no knowledge of what her grandfather had done in the past and had sacrificed her life to find the truth, she still was the former queen of the nation that was responsible for a nearly 35 year long prison sentence. "I'm so sorry."

Honeymaren looked at Elsa in surprise, "You don't have anything to be sorry for. You're the reason we get to experience all of this now!" She smiled and left spoon duty for a moment to put her hand on Elsa's shoulder, "You're the reason we have a future."

Elsa shivered but not from the cold "But... all those years..." she shook her head  _ I guess we both grew up isolated from the world _ she thought to herself.

"You aren't at fault for that." She reminded her, "That was before either of us were born. But... At least we can move forward together... Tell me about what it was like for you growing up?"

Elsa nodded "I suppose you're very right." she stared into the fire a moment, clutching herself tight and nervously chewing on her bottom lip before answering "Lonely" she admitted quietly. 

Honeymaren frowned, but didn't move from her side. "Because of your powers? I... Could only gather so much from Olaf's storytelling."

Elsa wrung her hands together "Yeah... sorry about him. He did do a fairly good job of summarizing it. I was just so worried I'd accidentally hurt Anna again. My magic, it seemed that it could only bring hurt to the people I love. I used to accidentally make huge spikes of ice just from sneezing! And while now I feel more in control than ever, I still feel it spiraling out at times. What if I brought the eternal winter here? I couldn't bear that."

"You won't do anything of the sort. Do you know why?" Honeymaren gently squeezed her shoulder, "Because you have us. You have the forest. The spirits. You're a bridge, yes, but every bridge relies on sturdy foundations on both of its sides to keep it stable. You don't have to be everything for everyone anymore. You can just be you. With us."

As if on cue, Bruni chirped and climbed up Elsa's leg to get into her hands, snuggling into her cool palms.

Elsa looked up shyly, smiling a little. She knew Honeymaren was right, but it was still a lot to take in. "Thank you." She gasped a little when she felt Bruni's squishy warm body in her hands. She brought him up to her face and grinned "What mischief have you been up to?"

He looked at her with wide, derpy eyes, then licked his eyeball. 

_ Classic _ Elsa snorted as the little fire spirit jumped off her hands and scurried into the flames, turning them bright purple.

Honeymaren smiled and reached for the spoon to give the stew a few more stirs. "Just remember that we're all in this together." She said to Elsa, "You don't have to face anything alone."

Elsa smiled. For the first time in forever, she actually felt that way. Even though she had the most loving and loyal sister, there was still a huge disconnect between her and Anna. She smiled shyly and looked into the pot "Wow... that looks really good."

Honeymaren smiled and nodded, "Want to give it a taste?"

Elsa nodded quickly, maybe a little too quickly, and scooted a little closer to where Honeymaren was sitting.

Honeymaren smiled, enjoying the closeness. She pulled out the big spoon and held it evenly, filled with broth. She moved it closer to Elsa to let her taste.

Elsa flitted her eyes between the spoon and Honeymaren, her heart starting to race. She could feel the heat radiating, though possibly not just from the soup. When she pursed her lips together and blew on the hot soup, a flurry of small snowflakes escaping her lips.  _ Well, that's new... _ She quickly sipped the contents of the spoon and sighed "mmmmm... that's really good."

Honeymaren smiled, enchanted by the little snowflakes. "Right? I love it. It's almost ready."

Elsa sat up and scooted back to her original place.  _ What was with this urge to be close to Honeymaren all the time? _

Honeymaren took a sip for herself and smiled, "Mmm..." she started stirring again. "So, anything else I can tell you about our people? Yelena's better in terms of history, but maybe I can give you an idea of what to expect, you know?"

"Um... I'm really an open slate. Honestly, all I knew of the Northuldra were stories my father told me as a young girl or mother's lullaby about Ahtohallan. He was also under the misconception that the dam was a gift and that, you know, the Northuldra attacked first. I was so scared of the Enchanted Forest back then." Elsa blushed a little, admitting her ignorance "I'm glad to see that couldn't have been further from the truth. I wonder sometimes, if my mother had lived longer, if she would have taught me more."

Honeymaren nodded, "She would have. I'm sure of it." she nodded, "But you shouldn't feel bad for the things you couldn't have known..."

Elsa nodded, reaching up and brushing her cheek softly "You're too kind to me." she lost herself in Honeymaren's gaze a little longer before she realized what she was doing. She quickly withdrew her hand "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Honeymaren shook her hand, "It's alright." She looked into the stew to keep herself from getting too lost in Elsa's eyes herself. "We're all pretty touchy-feely around here." She assured her with a smile.

Elsa nodded and tucked her hands under her knees.

Honeymaren didn't like seeing Elsa so reserved. Still, she knew how it felt to feel like an outsider. Gratefully, Lehan returned and took a moment to sample the stew thoughtfully. "Not bad..."

More of the Northuldra had begun to gather in the area, talking among themselves. A little boy darted up to Elsa bravely. "Can you make something for me? With your magic?" He stared at her hopefully.

Elsa looked down at the boy and grinned "Of course, what would you like?" she had made plenty of small items for the Arendellian kids, it brought her joy to see their faces light up. She had no desire to have children of her own but something about these small gifts fulfilled whatever maternal instinct she might have been feeling.

"Can you make a reindeer?" He asked, eyes sparkling as he looked up at her. "A snowy one with ice for antlers!"

Elsa beamed, that was easy. She remembered when a young girl had once asked her for a functional sextant. She knelt down on her knees in front of him and held up her hands, swirling them around (adding a little dramatic flair) and creating a miniature reindeer sculpture. "There you go" she handed it to the boy with a grin.

He took it with a wondrous grin and squealed, running away to show his friends. More children rushed to her, "Oh, me next! Can you make something for me?" "Please please!"

Elsa laughed "Of course, please form a line and I will do my best." she settled in as a long line of children formed in front of her. Part way through she looked up, catching Honeymaren's eye, offering her a small, subtle wink. What she didn't see was Yelena standing just a few feet from where Honey stood, and she definitely didn't see the eyebrow raise. She only had eyes for one that night.

Honeymaren chuckled and helped get the children into a neat line, but they were pretty well-behaved. It didn't take much. One-by-one, they all asked for something to play with, to snuggle, to pretend with, everything from crowns to animals to tools. Finally, everyone had what they requested and Honeymaren offered her hand to Elsa, "It's time to begin dinner. Yelena will lead us in giving thanks."

Elsa accepted her hand and stood up, shaking feeling back into her leg. "Great, I'm famished!"

Honeymaren smiled and nodded, "I'm sure! You did well with them... Come, this way!" She held her hand and brought her to the circle where the others had all gathered, Yelena at the center. 

"We celebrate the return of one of our lost daughters today. Elsa of Arendelle, tonight we feast to honor your return. Let us give thanks to the spirits that protect our forest, to our ancestors who guide us, and to our people here and now." She bowed her head and raised her hands, and the Northuldra began to sing. Honeymaren joined in, keeping her hand on Elsa's. Mid-song, she whispered, "You'll learn it in time, don't worry."

Elsa felt warm, unsure if it was because of what Yelena had said or the hand currently on her own, but she focused on the song, trying to pick up the melody. It was the same rhythm they sang when she and Anna had first learned their mother was Northuldra. She listened intently for Honeymaren's voice. It was wonderful, soft yet strong, certain. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the experience.

Honeymaren finished out the song with the rest of them, and when they'd finished, Yelena nodded, "Enjoy the feast. Join us after for you've eaten for a story about the history of our people." Her eyes settled on Elsa with a soft smile, and she made her way to the stew pot. "Come, Elsa. You eat first, tonight. Any other night you'll fend for yourself, so don't get too used to it."

Elsa's pale skin turned the color of a tomato as she felt herself being gently nudged forward, a bowl thrust into her hands. "It's an honor to be welcomed into your community, thank you." she managed. Usually being put on the spot was a piece of cake for her, but words were failing her at the moment.

Honeymaren followed, receiving her bowl next. She walked with Elsa to a log carved into a bench and sat, "Here, this is perfect, yeah?"

Elsa sat down with her bowl "It's still so much to take in. If I were in Arendelle, Kai would be calling us to the dining hall at 6:30 sharp, we'd sit at a table far too large for the dining party, discuss politics or trade or foreign relations... even dinner was exhausting."

Honeymaren shook her head, "I can't imagine that being my life... it sounds so foreign. So stifling. No offense..."

“It was. Very stifling." Elsa sighed. "Here... I can just be myself."

Honeymaren nodded, "You can." She smiled and took a bite, eager to enjoy the stew. After a moment, she looked back to Elsa, "That's all you have to be here, with us. Just yourself."

Elsa smiled, feeling a warmth in her stomach that was not attributed to the stew.  _ What the hell is this? _ she thought but shoved another spoonful of food in her mouth to prevent herself from saying something she might regret later.

Honeymaren set herself to eating, content just to share her meal with Elsa. This was perfect. What more could she ask for on her first day back? She started to worry that she was monopolizing her time, but the others seemed perfectly willing to come up to her if they wanted, at least the children had.

Elsa ate happily, listening to the others chatter among themselves. When Yelena started telling stories she found herself leaning forward, hanging on every word. She hardly noticed that a few of the children had settled themselves around her, each cuddling their ice toy.

Honeymaren watched Elsa from the corner of her eye, smiling to herself. It was so nice to see how eager she was to learn, to hear their histories and stories.

Eventually the coals started to die down and people started saying their goodbyes and retreated to their tents. Elsa stood and stretched, having spent the past several hours sitting on the firm ground. She said her good nights to the few who were still around the fire and went to her tent, giving Honeymaren a little smile as she passed her. She was sorely tempted to ask her to join her, it being her first night and all, but she didn’t want to overstep or ask too much. And she definitely didn’t want to come across as needy. “Good night, Honeymaren.”

Honeymaren returned her smile and watched her go. Gods, she wanted to go with her, but there was no way she'd even dream of asking. Elsa deserved as much time as she wanted to get settled in. After a time, she returned to her own hut, settling in for the night.

Ryder had been carefully observing his sister all night and planned his attack perfectly, waiting just inside the hut for Honeymaren to return. Besides, he slept there, too. “Soooooooo?” He pounced, smirking as nonchalant as possible the moment she entered.

Honeymaren rolled her eyes at Ryder, "Sooo... She enjoyed tonight. What else is there to say? It's her first night."

Ryder nodded “yeah but... why are you here and not there?”

"Because it's her first night!" She huffed and started prepping her bed roll and furs. "I want to give her space to adjust to all this."

Ryder held up his hands defensively in case she decided to throw something at him “yeah... but you spent all that time making her tent. And well, you two have really hit it off, don’t you think she might like something familiar? It is as you said, her first night away from everything she’s ever known.” He shrugged “but then again, what do I know? I know nothing about women.”

"I have to let her come to me... This is all so new to her. She knows I'm here if she wanted me..." She sighed and stretched out on her mat. _ She knows that, right? _

Ryder shrugged again “suit yourself. But maybe you should check on her in the morning, you know? Bring her tea or something.”

Honeymaren nodded thoughtfully, "Not a bad idea... First time for everything, huh Ryder?" She teased, blowing out the lantern. "Night."

Ryder threw a pillow at her “Ha, ha… very funny sis.”

Elsa curled up under the warm furs. Although she didn’t need them to ward off the chill she didn’t feel, the weight was comforting. Too exhausted to care about modesty, she dissolved her ice dress and snuggled in. Sleep did not come easily for her, it was so quiet, nothing but the sounds of the forest surrounding her, but eventually her eyes grew heavy and she fell into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, Honeymaren rose early and followed Ryder's advice, preparing a mug of hot tea with Bruni's help. The little guy hadn't been around much until Elsa had come back, but she was grateful for him. It made making tea that much easier. She went to Elsa's hut with the fresh tea, waiting just outside of her closed flaps.  _ Was this a good idea? Should she just let her sleep? _ Before she could make up her mind, Bruni chirped and darted into the hut and Honeymaren gasped, "Wait!"

Elsa stirred a little but didn't open her eyes when she felt Bruni's hot feet on her face. "Nnnngh..." she rolled over, hiding her face under an arm. She couldn't remember the last time she was allowed to sleep in like this, with nothing on her schedule.

Honeymaren looked at Elsa through the space in the flap and hesitated. She didn't want to wake her. She set the tea mug down just inside the hut and looked at Bruni, "Heat it up for her when she wakes up?" She asked in a whisper, hoping the fire spirit would understand.

Bruni licked his eye and jumped over to the mug, curling around it.

Elsa's eye shot open when she heard a voice in her tent. She sat bolt upright in her pile of furs looking around for the source. Her eyes quickly settled on Honeymaren by the door, whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Then she looked down at bare top half. "Oh!" she exclaimed, clutching at the furs to cover herself.

Honeymaren stared, far longer than she should have. Elsa was far more beautiful than she had imagined even in her wildest dreams. She quickly covered her eyes when she realized what was happening, "Oh, gods you’re naked! I'm so sorry! I just... Wanted to bring you tea. I'm sorry, I was trying not to wake you, I'll just... Yeah." She turned and let the flap fall closed. "Why would you talk? You were supposed to let her sleep, idiot..." She grumbled to herself.

Elsa sat there a moment in stunned silence after Honeymaren had left. She didn't notice that she had accidentally frozen herself to the ground under the blankets. She waved her hands to get rid of the ice before she quickly made an ice outfit. For the first time in many years, she had absolutely no idea what to do.  _ Should she go out and talk with Maren? Should she just sit there and pretend it didn’t happen? _ She dearly missed Anna, if this had happened in the castle she would have run to her room for some sisterly advice. Sighing she got to her feet and took the mug, grabbing Bruni and putting him on her shoulder "Thank you for keeping this warm." she sipped at it to settle her mind and stepped out into the brisk autumn air.

Honeymaren paced in the open area in front of her own hut, mumbling to herself. She heard movement and looked over her shoulder to find Elsa, dressed. "... Hi. I'm so sorry about earlier..."

Elsa blushed "It's not your fault, you didn't know. And I usually sleep in a nightgown, I was just so tired last night." She looked at the ground "Thank you, for the tea. It was very thoughtful of you."

Honeymaren nodded, "I was trying to tell Bruni to warm it up for you when you woke up... I didn't mean to wake you."

Elsa chuckled "It's fine. I am a light sleeper, I’m used to having to wake up early." She looked around. Others were milling about the camp "So... I suppose I should find a task to learn today... any suggestions?"

"You don't have to learn something to do right off the bat, no one expects that of anyone who's just returned. But if you want, you could tend to the reindeer with me and Ryder today? We're going to take the herd to a nearby pasture for some fresh feed."

Elsa nodded "Is it far? I can summon Nokk to take us."

Honeymaren blinked, then chuckled, "That's amazing... Sure! We'll definitely beat Ryder there, then." She grinned. Being friends with the fifth spirit of the forest had its perks...  _ Wait, were they friends yet? _ It felt too soon to label it that way...  _ Oh no. _ Her mind began to short-circuit in trying to determine exactly what to call their relationship, friendship, whatever it was. Ever since she first laid eyes on Elsa she had felt a connection to her, drawn to her energy. Maybe it was a spirit thing, maybe it was an Elsa thing. She didn’t know.

Elsa grinned and walked over to the stream, holding her hand out, calling to the powerful water spirit with her magic. She kind of enjoyed getting to show off for Honeymaren.

With a loud splash, Nokk came bursting out of the water, standing on top of the stream's surface. It bowed its head slightly, Elsa giving it a shallow bow in return, both spirits showing respect for each other's power. Nokk looked over her shoulder, nickering at Honeymaren.

Elsa held out her hand to the water horse "She's a friend. Would you be willing to bear us both across the land?" 

Nokk took a step forward and pressed its nose against Elsa's outstretched palm, a soft frosted ice spreading quickly through its body. It joyfully hopped up onto solid land, prancing around a bit.

Honeymaren watched the interaction with complete shock. She'd seen the water spirit before, and she'd seen Elsa's powers first-hand, but she'd never thought she'd be able to  _ ride _ Nokk. She stepped closer to Elsa, excited and a bit apprehensive. She knew how powerful the water spirit was... But then again, Elsa had earned its respect. She'd just have to show herself as worthy to ride along. She bowed to Nokk respectfully, "I take it that's a yes?"

Elsa smiled "Yes, Nokk has agreed to carry us both." she gracefully hopped up onto the horse's back, offering Honeymaren a hand up. "I hope you're okay going bareback."

Honeymaren took her hand and climbed up behind Elsa. Once she was on the Nokk's frosted back, pressed up against Elsa, she suddenly realized just how much of a problem this might be. "I think I can handle it."  _ I really hope that's true… _ Pressed up against Elsa like this, she could already feel her body betraying her.

Elsa summoned icy reins to control Nokk and took off, a huge grin on her face. She loved riding the water spirit, it felt like their magics were blending. She felt her own temperature building, the feel of Honeymaren's hands around her waist, then something else between them...  _ what? _ She pushed the thought out of her mind and held on tight to the reins. "So, where should we be going?"

Honeymaren held onto Elsa tightly as the watery steed took off. She tried very, very hard to keep from getting, well, hard. The steady rocking of the Nokk's canter beneath her kept pushing her against Elsa from behind which was absolutely not helping matters. She heard Elsa's voice and snapped back to attention. "Oh right, ummm, continue on this path and then when it forks, take the left side."

Elsa pulled the reins to direct Nokk. At this point she could definitely feel something pressed against her backside that wasn't there before.

Honeymaren knew Elsa had to have noticed. She just had to. It was so obvious now, but she couldn't afford to make any more space or she'd fall right off of their ride. _ I should have doubled up on pants...  _ Once they found their turn, she spoke up again, "They should be up on our left here in the clearing ahead."

Elsa nodded, pulling gently on Nokk's reins to have him slow down. "Great, yeah." As they rounded the corner she saw Ryder standing in the middle of a group of reindeer, having what seemed to be a very in depth conversation with one. As they approached, Elsa could hear that it was something about moss. She shook her head as Nokk came to a halt and lowered himself to his knees to allow them to dismount. "Thank you." she whispered quietly to him "Will you stay in case we need to move again?" a soft snort confirmed her question and he trotted over and eagerly rolled on the ground, as if he was scratching his back in the grass.

Honeymaren quickly jumped from Nokk's back and turned away from Elsa, trying to readjust herself so that everything wasn't quite so... Obvious. Once she was properly sorted (at least somewhat) she rejoined Elsa and approached her brother. "What did the reindeer have to say today?"

Ryder chuckled "Oh, the usual. Had to break up an argument between Mildred and Wallace about grazing areas, but otherwise it's been kind of quiet. Did you two have a... pleasant ride?" He coughed a little when he noticed that there was still a situation, subtly gesturing "Hey Elsa, why don't you come over here, I have something to show you about different grasses." He did his best to distract the blonde woman long enough for Honeymaren to sort herself out better. "Now, it's very important for us to rotate our feeding grounds, because some of the areas have better minerals and whatnot for the deers' health..." he started droning on and on.

Honeymaren gladly took the opportunity to step aside into the trees to try and sort out her issue. She took deep breaths and reached in, realigning her bulge so that it hid beneath the waistline of her pants, and the top of her coat covered it well. It didn't seem to want to go anywhere for good, so she'd have to settle for this for now. At least it was much less visible. That was something. She took a deep breath and headed back out to Ryder and Elsa, petting some of the reindeer along the way. "Has he bored you back to sleep yet?"

Elsa looked up from the little notebook that she was using to scribble notes about lichens and the difference between summer grass and sedge. "No, this is fascinating! Ryder is so knowledgeable!" she set down her book and stood "Is everything okay? You look a little pale."

Honeymaren chuckled and clapped a hand on Ryder's shoulder. She gave him a squeeze of silent thanks. "He's alright." She winked at him. "At least where reindeer are concerned... Oh me? I'm fine. Totally fine. Just needed to catch my breath, that's all." She chuckled a little uneasily.

Elsa nodded "Yes, riding Nokk can be a little unsettling. I remember when he and I first battled in the Dark Sea... he's so powerful." She turned to Ryder "So, Honeymaren said you two could show me a little about reindeer herding?"

Ryder grinned "I thought you'd never ask!" He walked through the herd to his personal reindeer, hopping up on it "Mount up!"

Honeymaren blinked, "Wait, you battled Nokk? In the Dark Sea?" She gaped, but clearly now wasn't the time for an interrogation. She found one of the others she liked to ride, Horren, and climbed onto his back. She rode around looking for a good possible mount for Elsa. "Elsa, I think you'll like Raina here. Give her a try!" she reached for one of the reindeer nearby and took hold of her bridle. 

Elsa looked at the reindeer, then back to where Nokk was lounging in the sun "Oh, uh... I think I'll ride Nokk. I kind of stranded him out here in his ice form. It would be rude to leave him as such." she smiled and whispered so that only Honeymaren could hear “he can be a little temperamental.”

Honeymaren nodded, "Right... That makes sense. Okay, um, just follow our lead then!" She nudged Horren into action and the reindeer started out at a trot.

Elsa smiled, glad that Honeymaren didn't pressure her to ride a reindeer. She didn't have the same connection with the animals that she did with the other spirits. Maybe one day she would ride a reindeer, but this was not that day. As if Nokk knew what she was thinking, he trotted over to her and pressed his nose against her shoulder. She hopped up on the ice horse and followed Maren and Ryder, watching how the siblings worked together.

Honeymaren and Ryder took their places at the front of the herd to get them all moving, and the reindeer followed en masse behind them. Together, they trotted across the clearing and turned with the flow of the land, following the curve and twist of it.

Elsa followed, marveling at how at ease Honeymaren was astride Horren. She was definitely in her element. But being alone gave her a little time to reflect.  _ What was it that she had felt against her backside when they were riding together? _ Honeymaren was very clearly a woman, but she had read enough books on anatomy to know that what she felt against her was something that typically belonged to a man.  _ Was this possible? _ She wondered. But then again, she had just discovered she was the Fifth Element, the bridge between the spirit world and humanity.  _ So maybe? But how do you even bring that up? _ She decided to just let it go. If Honeymaren wanted to talk about it, she would. In her own time.

Honeymaren was glad for the distraction of herding. It didn't take too long to get them to their new pasture and she let Horren graze with the others once they'd all settled. She leaned back on the reindeer, who hardly seemed to notice her there at this point. "How was your first herding experience?" She asked Elsa with a smile.

Elsa chuckled, hopping off of Nokk, trying to lean nonchalantly as a mirror of Maren's position. The horse was not having it and walked off with a snort. Elsa stumbled a moment and caught herself. " _ Ahem _ ... Well, I think that you and Ryder did the work, I just watched. But it was amazing."

Honeymaren chuckled to herself at Nokk's antics. "Well, to be fair, the reindeer did most of the work. We just told them where to go." She stood up straight and walked over to Elsa, "Now, we just let them eat."

Elsa nodded and looked out over the herd, all their heads were down, their tails flicking happily. "So, what do you do while you wait? Are we supposed to find those special lichen like Ryder told me about and feed them or do they just walk around?"

Honeymaren smirked a little and led her to a nearby tree. "Now, we just let them graze. Come, sit." She dropped down and stretched out her legs, crossing her arms behind her head. "We just keep a lookout and make sure there are no predators around, and that's it."

“You just... sit?" Elsa quirked an eyebrow "What else?"

Honeymaren chuckled, "Well, sometimes we bring weaving with us. I worked on most of the embroidery for your blankets and stuff out here. But yeah, mostly... we just sit."

_ Oh... _ Elsa blushed "They're really nice blankets..."  _ in what universe was she at a loss for words?! _ She smiled over at Honeymaren, taking an extra second longer than appropriate to look at her, her soft features complimented by her strong muscles, even under her leather tunic she could tell. And her long dark hair in its messy braid. She wondered what it would look like down, how soft it might feel to touch. She suddenly felt like she was about to be sick, her stomach churned, but it was a different feeling she couldn’t quite describe.

“I'm glad you like them." She beamed, quite pleased with herself.

Elsa nodded "And the tent is really nice."

"Thanks." She smiled at her, then looked out at the reindeer to keep from staring. "I just wanted you to feel comfortable when you came back. Welcome."

"You really went above and beyond." Elsa sat down next to her, reclining back on her outstretched arms. The sun felt amazing. Being here with Honeymaren was amazing. And then Ryder had to pipe in. 

"So.... Uh... If it's okay with you two, I think you guys have this all taken care of, do you mind if I switch over to fishing duty?"

Honeymaren looked up at Ryder, then waved a hand, "Very well, sir..." she said in a faux snooty voice, "You are dismissed." Her smirk grew into a grin, then laughter. "Have fun!"

Elsa couldn't help herself "Let me show you how this is done..." She stood and quickly slid into her past self and in her most Queenly voice she repeated Honeymaren's words. When she was done she sat down "Wow, I sounded like a pompous ass. I'm so glad I never have to actually be like that again."

Honeymaren laughed, "You sounded so official! And nope, you don't have to do anything like that ever again." She grinned at Elsa, then closed her eyes to enjoy the warm sun.

"It used to be my job. Old habits die hard" Elsa grinned, closing her eyes and letting the sun soak into her skin.

"But not anymore." She reminded her with a contented sigh. "This is all you need to worry about now."

Elsa nodded and laid down in the grass, her arms resting under her head like a pillow. "Thank you, Honey." her eyes shot open "Honeymaren... sorry... I meant Honeymaren."

Honeymaren felt a warmth spread to her chest at the way Elsa called her 'Honey'. Most people called her Maren for short, but she really  _ really _ liked the way Elsa called her Honey. "I'm just glad you're learning how to relax. I think we'll just have to keep up on these lessons, huh?" She teased with a chuckle.

"Relaxing... wow..." Elsa sighed "What other techniques do you have for relaxing?"

Honeymaren felt her cheeks burn. "Um... well, I guess... napping is good? Sometimes I'll bring out my lute, I've been teaching myself how to play."

"Oh, you play music? I'd love to hear you some time!" Elsa grinned. She had been taught to play several instruments growing up and her instructors said she was quite proficient, but she didn't want to brag.

Honeymaren blushed and shrugged, "I'm not that great... It's just for fun."

Elsa nodded "Well... there's no judgement from me... in anything." she added, hoping to prompt a discussion about their ride together.

Honeymaren glanced over at Elsa, catching the subtle hint in her tone.  _ Was she talking about...? Oh, she was, wasn't she? Or was she?  _ Honeymaren looked back out at the field of reindeer, her mind reeling. It felt too soon to tell her, she'd only been here for around a day, and really, it wasn't really that important... unless they-- wait. Honeymaren sucked in a tight breath.  _ Did Elsa want that? No, no. It was too soon to feel that strongly, right? Way too soon.  _ "Thanks," Honeymaren finally replied. "I'll remember that."

Elsa noted the distinct pause and didn't press the issue. "Hey, look! That cloud looks like a reindeer!" she pointed, trying to lift the tension.

Honeymaren happily turned her attention to the sky, laughing out her relief at the change of topic. "Oh, it does!"

Elsa chuckled, though she wouldn't admit it, she loved hearing Honeymaren's laugh. She settled her head back against her arms and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. She did feel a little guilty being out here and having recently saddled Anna with the pressures of ruling Arendelle, but this is where she belonged. She knew in her heart she would have always been out of step if she had stayed. Even if she did her best to hide her feelings, act like the Queen she was raised to be, Arendelle was not her home anymore. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the sun on her face, not realizing she was falling asleep.

Honeymaren smiled, her gaze drifting to Elsa as she heard her breathing slow. She felt a little bad about watching her sleep, but she was so beautiful, graceful even in sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa drifted off into a restful sleep. The years of anxiety and stress were still there, but she felt the walls start to slowly crack and split. She started to dream. First it was of Anna, her worry bleeding into her subconscious. But slowly her dreams drifted. All she saw was soft golden brown eyes, close to her face, mere inches away. It was so real, she felt like she could just reach out and stroke her cheek, feel the soft skin under her fingertips. She wanted it. Then she felt Honeymaren's fingertips on her own face... "OH!" she gasped, abruptly waking up, sitting bolt upright. She looked around, Honeymaren was several feet away, definitely not touching her. It was a flurry of large flakes that had landed on her face. She ran her fingers through her thick platinum hair, trying to figure out what the hell that dream was about.

Honeymaren felt the air chill and frowned, unsure what was happening. She saw snowflakes flurrying around Elsa, around herself. She peered over at Elsa a little more closely, jumping a little when she sat up. "Oh. Are you... okay?"

Elsa's eyes focused quickly when she heard Honeymaren's voice "Oh... sorry... I had a dream."

Honeymaren's eyes softened and she reached for her, "Are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?"

Elsa shook her head and waved her hand to dissipate the snow “I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep.”

Honeymaren nodded slowly, "Well, if dreams have been bothering you lately, we do have a tea mixture that helps with a deep, untroubled sleep? If you wanted to try it tonight."

“That might be a good idea. I wouldn’t want to accidentally freeze the camp because of a dream.” Elsa had almost said nightmare but she knew nothing about her dream qualified as a nightmare. If anything it was the opposite. “Honeymaren, can I ask something of you?”

Honeymaren nodded, her attention entirely on Elsa. "Anything."

“You have the closest tent to mine... if I ever lose control, will you wake me?”

Honeymaren searched her eyes, nodding solemnly. "Of course."

“Thank you.” Elsa turned onto her side to look at Honeymaren “back in the castle, I had Anna to keep me grounded. And while the spirits help my spirit side in check, my mind does a pretty poor job of relaxing. As you see, I can be a little unstable.”

"Not unstable. Human... With a little extra." She chuckled and elbowed her softly, playful.

Elsa smiled warmly at Honeymaren, subconsciously flicking her hair over her shoulder. Anna had inadvertently given her way too much information about how to flirt when she used to come bouncing into her room after a particularly fun date with Kristoff.  _ Wait, was she trying to flirt with Honeymaren?! What was happening?! _

Honeymaren looked up at Elsa, her mouth going slack as she watched her play with her hair. There was something about that simple movement that rendered her speechless (and useless, really). She blushed and looked back down at her hands, "So... Now that you don't have to worry about queenly duties, what are you most looking forward to?"

Elsa sat up and smiled warmly over at Honeymaren “hmmm... well, I’m not sure honestly. I suppose finally getting a chance to live my life. Explore. Go on adventures. Being Queen... you’re always on. Everyone looking to you. I know I have duties to the forest, but it’s different.”

Honeymaren nodded, "Well, now you can just be you." She smiled, "Not who anyone else needs you to be. Just you."

Elsa chuckled “you have no idea how wonderful that sounds. I would like to try to learn more about my magic.”

"I have to admit, your magic is so exciting to me. I've never seen anything like it." She played with her fingers, trying to word it all right in her head. "You're fascinating, with or without magic, of course, but I've always been fascinated by the idea of the fifth spirit. I never dreamed I would meet her."

“So much pressure!” Elsa teased “well, here I am in the flesh. I hope I lived up to your expectations. I’d hate to disappoint you.”

Honeymaren winked back, "You couldn't. Not possible."

Elsa smiled and leaned back down “so, what about you? What will you do now that the mist has lifted, the world at your fingertips?”

Honeymaren looked up at the sky, sighing. "I'll never get tired of this view... It's funny, for so long I tried to imagine what was beyond the fog, and now that we're out here... There's part of me that doesn't want anything to change. There's another part that just wants to take a reindeer and start running, going as far as I can until the land meets the sea, then just follow it to the ends of the Earth."

Elsa nodded “well, perhaps we can both explore our newfound freedom together? But I think we’d both agree that this forest is a part of us. A place to come back to.”

Honeymaren felt her breath quicken. "You'd want that?"

“Of course. You know the land, I know the cities and countries. I think we could make a good pair, don’t you?”

Honeymaren couldn't hold back the grin spreading on her face. "I mean, of course we'd come back home but... I always felt like I'd regret it if I never got out there, you know?"

Elsa nodded “exactly! Besides, if I was gone too long I’m pretty sure Bruni would come after us. Unstable fire spirit? Not a good thing.”

Honeymaren nodded, "True... Just a few days then? Maybe we could even make it an annual thing, go a different direction every time!"

"That could be fun! Oh, and if you're ever feeling up to it, I'd like to take you to Arendelle some time. Though I can understand if you would be hesitant." Elsa added, trying to push down that small pang of guilt she was feeling.

Honeymaren shook her head, "No, that would be wonderful! I want to see everything, and I thought your sister was very nice, I think Arendelle will be a much better place with her. Not better than it was with you, I mean, better than your grandfather, and... Yeah. I'll bet you were an amazing Queen."

"I have full confidence in Anna" Elsa blushed a little "I… I did my best. That's all one can do, right?"

Honeymaren nodded, "But you really do belong up here. Free. In nature."

Elsa hummed and opened her mouth before she thought about her words "With you" her eyes flashed open "The Northuldra... my mother's people."

Honeymaren smiled and met her gaze. "Your people, too." Still, her thoughts lingered on 'with you'. That was the first thing she'd said. Surely she hadn't meant Honeymaren specifically, but Honeymaren desperately wanted to believe that. Maybe they could speak more on their travels. Get to know each other.


	5. Chapter 5

Elsa smiled and went back to staring up at the sky, watching the clouds float by. She was just about to close her eyes when she felt a strong gust of wind swirl around her, whipping her loose hair over her face. "Gale! What are you doing?" she looked up at the mess of leaves floating above her, her eyes spotted a piece of paper, carefully folded like a bird "Oh..." she grabbed it and opened the message from Anna. She'd recognize her sister's hurried handwriting any day. "Everything is good in Arendelle, but she has a question about some foreign affairs. Apparently the charts and spreadsheets I left for her were not enough. Would you mind if I went to help her? I'll only be gone a few days I think. I can send Ryder a message with Gale to come back..."

Honeymaren sat back up at that, "Oh, um I, of course. Whatever you need. And don't worry about Ryder, I can handle the reindeer until he wanders back."

Elsa held Honeymaren's gaze a moment "Thank you. I will be back. Is there anything you'd like me to bring you?"

"Anything you think I might like, but you don't have to." She shrugged, secretly hoping she'd bring back something for her. Just to know she'd thought of her. "Come back soon."

With a smile, Elsa hopped up onto Nokk and took off at a fast gallop toward the sea. It cut several hours of riding off the journey to cross the water compared to land. She took the time to think and reflect. So much had happened in just a short while. In some ways she was selfishly was glad that Anna needed her, it helped her feel needed during the transition going from carrying the weight of Arendelle on her shoulders to having nothing more to worry about than learning about different grasses.

Once she had made landfall, Elsa unfroze Nokk and let him go galavanting off into the water again. She breathed deeply, enjoying the familiar smells of the city as she wandered up the cobblestone streets toward the castle. It wasn't far, the palace was built just next to the water. She bowed her head to the guards standing watch at the open gates and strode into the palace. She greeted Kai as he announced her arrival then set to find her sister. Judging by the sun's location, she had made it just in time for dinner so she went to the dining hall. "Anna? Kristoff? Olaf? Sven? Are you in here?" she called as she opened the door.

Anna heard Elsa's voice and her eyes widened, a grin spreading over her face. She leapt up from the table and rushed at her sister, locking her in a tight embrace. "You made it! We saved a place at the table for you, but Kristoff didn't think you could make it but I reminded him that you could use the water shortcut over the sea and so I was right, for the record, but I missed you so much!"

Elsa chuckled and melted into her sister's embrace "I missed you, too, sis. Even though it's only been a day, you know." She released her and went to greet the others before sitting down at the empty spot. She had to remind herself that her seat was no longer the head of the table. "So, what news?"

“I know it hasn't been long, but I'm used to having you around every day so it's definitely an adjustment. But yes! News." Anna took her seat at the head of the table, "Still feels weird sitting up here, but I think I'll be used to it soon. Anyways, our trade embargo on Weselton is still making waves. The Duke is apparently trying to convince our other trade partners to 'punish us' with him."

"I promised you I'd come back once a week, but if you ever need me, I'm just a Gale-mail away." Elsa scoffed and shook her head "That little man just doesn't know when to stop! What about Corona? They were good partners in trade"

"Right? And yes, Corona has confirmed that they'll stand with us, but the others haven't responded yet, it's all happened pretty fast."

Elsa pressed her fingers to her temple, rubbing softly. "Well, whatever you do, we cannot back down on our stance with Weselton. He practically ordered his men to kill me, who knows what he might have been planning for you." she shook her head "This is too heavy for dinner, perhaps we can discuss lighter matters for the time being? Olaf, what new trivia have you learned recently?"

Olaf looked up and eagerly started spewing off random useless facts he had picked up.

Anna leaned in closer to Elsa as they ate, "So, are you enjoying the forest? And the  _ company _ up there?" She winked. She had received a message from Yelena earlier imploring that she talk with Elsa about feelings, help her come to terms with her emotions. And she intended to do just that. She had watched Elsa spend too much time pushing others away. She wasn’t going to allow her sister to pass up another chance of happiness… Yelena hadn’t mentioned any names, but she knew exactly who the letter was about.

Elsa felt a rush of heat in her cheeks  _ What was Anna implying? _ She hadn't given her any indication she had developing feelings for anyone. She didn’t even know what she was feeling! She decided to play aloof "Everyone is so kind and welcoming... Honeymaren and Ryder built my tent when I was gone, it's beautiful. You should come up some time, I'd love to show you."

"Oh, I would love that! You should invite them to charades next time, for sure!" She nodded, decided, "They built you a tent, hmm?"

"Yes, it's Northuldran tradition!" Elsa responded stiffly.

"Oh really?" She smiled, nibbling at her meal. "Why so defensive? I'm just curious."

"I... uh... sorry." she apologized, turning her attention to her soup "I'm sorry. I promised you that I'd never shut you out again... I'm just not very good at feelings. Everything is so new..."

Anna put her hand on Elsa's with a smile, "Hey, it's alright. We're both adjusting to all this, we're bound to struggle a bit in the process, right? But you're here now and we can tell each other anything."

Elsa looked up at her sister with a smile and then sighed "You're right. I can't believe I'm asking my little sister about this... So, when did you know you had feelings for Kristoff? How did you  _ know _ ?" She looked over, noticing that Kristoff had subtly inched forward to listen in as well.

Anna gave Kristoff a smile and looked at her sister, "Well, it wasn't really one moment... It was a lot of them. And there wasn't really one moment where everything clicked into place... I mean, the big moment was when I found out he was coming back to rescue me... Or try, at least. But even then, it took time. It took talking, listening, getting to know each other, and at some point, I looked ahead to picture the future, and no matter which way I imagined it, the one constant was that I always saw him by my side. And I knew whatever might happen, as long as I had him, everything would work out. The rest didn't matter."

Elsa listened intently "Oh... I see... talking... I'm not so good at that."

Anna chuckled, "We can help you work on that... Soooo have someone in mind?" She batted her eyelashes innocently.

Elsa turned bright red, her feet shuffling under the table. She shook her head quickly "No... no I was just..."  _ ahem _ she cleared her throat, but small snowflakes were starting to fall around her. "Curse it" she whispered to herself.  _ Way to go, Elsa, definitely not smooth or subtle. _

Kristoff cleared his throat loudly "Oh, man, I'm absolutely stuffed, I think I'll go on a walk with Sven..." then in his Sven voice ‘ _ But I'm not done with my dinner, Kristoff _ ’ and back in his normal voice "It's okay buddy, I'll get you some carrots on our walk." he promptly scooted away and excused himself from any more awkwardness. "Come on, Olaf, I want to show you something."

Anna turned to give Kristoff a grateful smile, and once they were gone, she got to her feet, "Come on, let's talk in the parlor. Couches are way more comfy."

Elsa stood and followed, her hands clasped tight in front of her as she tried to control her emotions. She couldn't help but remember her childhood mantra  _ ‘Conceal, don't feel’ _ she started repeating it in her head, then subconsciously mumbling it as she walked.

Anna frowned as she saw Elsa withdraw. She stopped and turned to her in the hall, putting her hands on her arms. "Alright, tough love time. What's going on? I haven't seen you this formal and stiff since your coronation."

Elsa looked up "I just... I don't want to mess things up again. Everyone's being so nice and what if I'm getting my signals mixed because they're just trying to be friendly. What if I accidentally make things awkward and then they don't want me to be up there... All my childhood I spent my time trying to teach myself not to feel. This is just, very new to me."

Anna pulled Elsa into a tight hug, just holding her tight for a long moment. "If it's really meant to be, there's no way you can mess it up. The only real way to mess it up is to let fear win and never try." She pulled back to meet her eyes, "Do you know how many times I was clumsy and almost got Kristoff hurt? I threw a flaming bedroll at him, got his sled destroyed, smacked him with a tree branch multiple times, only once on purpose... My point is that as long as your heart is in the right place, nothing like that is going to chase Ryder away." She smiled knowingly.

Elsa blushed even harder and gulped "Oh... uh... that's..."  _ of course Anna would assume it was Ryder _ . She opened her mouth to correct Anna but suddenly Olaf came bursting in, Kristoff tailing him, mouthing out "sorry" over Olaf's shoulder.

Anna chuckled and scooped down to pick up Olaf, snuggling him. "Where did you boys get off to?"

Olaf wrapped his thing twiggy arms around Anna "Oh, Kristoff wanted to show me something but when we got to the barn he couldn't remember and so I came back here!"

Anna nodded and chuckled, "I'm sure he'll remember sometime." She set him down and plopped herself on the couch, "Well, I guess we should talk trade now, hmm?"

Elsa's heart sank and yet she also felt relieved to not have to talk about feelings anymore.  _ How would she ever correct Anna? How would Anna take it if she knew her true feelings weren't for Ryder? What were her true feelings? _ Her mind was reeling, but Anna's question had snapped her into her professional mindset and she shoved her wandering thoughts into a mental compartment to deal with later. "Yes, trade..."

The rest of the night was spent talking business, and by the time the fire began to sink into coals, only Elsa and Anna were left awake. Anna leaned against her sister, "Sooo... Are we gonna talk more about Ryder?"

"Oh, you know, I'm kind of tired. Ryder and Honeymaren took me out to learn how to herd reindeer earlier today..." Elsa figured that was a plausible excuse

Anna chuckled, "Alright, alright... But you're totally dishing in the morning." She yawned and stretched, "Mmm... Sleep over?"

"Just like old times." Elsa grinned.

Anna happily made her way to her bedroom, getting into pajamas and climbing into the bed. "You know, there's nothing wrong with having a crush..."

"I don't even know if that's what I'm feeling" Elsa just created her nightgown out of ice. "I've never had a crush... I don't think..."

"It really sounds like it..." Anna chuckled, "Well, at least talk to him. Get to know him better, see if that's what you really want."

"Anna... what if" Elsa started but then found a particularly interesting knot in the fringe of Anna's blanket. She sighed "You’re right… Good night, Anna."

Anna lifted a brow, but she was too sleepy to fight it. "Good night, Elsa." She laid back on her pillow, asleep in moments, strewn across the bed.

Elsa tucked herself into a ball and thought about what Anna had said. Maybe there was some truth to Anna’s advice. She should talk to Ryder. He was Honeymaren's brother, who knew her better?  _ Yes, that was a great plan! _ She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Anna snored heavily, lost to the world until a ray of sun landed exactly on her face in just the right angle. She groaned and tried to hide under her pillow.

Elsa was awake early, the habit of rising before dawn still ingrained in her internal clock. She thought about waiting until Anna was awake, but she didn't want to deal with Anna's questioning and besides, she had a new mission. She wrote out a note and left it on Anna's desk, telling her that she had thought about what Anna had told her and that she had returned to Northuldra to talk with Ryder, but she would be back in time for Family Night on Friday. With a swish she changed to travel clothes and headed back north.

Ryder frowned when he saw Honeymaren return from the pastures alone. He plopped down next to her on the log offering a bowl of stew for dinner "So... what happened? I left you alone for a couple hours and you scared her off already? Wow, and I thought  _ I _ knew nothing about women..."

Honeymaren rolled her eyes, "She got summons from her sister... She'll be back. I think."  _ Oh no, had she scared her off? _ No, she'd seen the letter…

Ryder nodded a little and then in classic tactless Ryder fashion, he went straight in for the kill "So... you like her, don't you?"

Honeymaren gave him a look and sighed. "... Yeah. I do, but I am so far out of my league."

“Why do you say that?" Ryder actually set down his bowl to give her his full attention. "I mean, yeah... she's looks like a goddess... and you know, kind of is one with the whole 5th spirit thing... but I mean, you're nice, and funny and stuff..."

"She's the fifth spirit and she's gorgeous, and she's smart and poised and doesn't smell like reindeer, she's... Amazing. And she didn't judge me for wanting to get away from all this... Temporarily." She added, all too aware that she hadn't breached that particular subject with Ryder yet.

"What do you mean?" Ryder lifted an eyebrow at her

"I... Want to explore. Outside of the forest." She let out a long breath, "I've always dreamed of seeing the world outside of our forest, but I never thought it was possible. Now... It is. And I can't ignore this pull in my heart." She smiled at Ryder, "But we won't be gone long. Just a few days. Every now and then."

Ryder nodded slowly "This forest was never big enough for you... I'm glad you finally have the chance to spread your wings. You're meant to do great things. I love you, sis."

Honeymaren smiled and put her arm around Ryder's shoulders, "I love you too, bro. And I'll always come home. Always. That's a promise."

"So... if you're going to be traveling, I assume Elsa will be coming with you?"

"She said she'd like to," Honeymaren sighed, hopeful. "We'll see if she still thinks so when she gets back."

"And... will you be riding together or separate? I'm just saying if it's together, you might want to consider doubling up on the pants..." Ryder chuckled. "I assume you've had that little chat considering this morning's ride?"

Honeymaren groaned and put her head in her hands. "Nooo... I think she was even giving me the chance to tell her but I was too nervous to explain. Everyone else knows, it's never been an issue before, I don't know why it's such a big deal to me with her."

"Probably cuz you like her and you're worried what she'll think once she finds out... except I'm pretty sure she already does and she didn't freak out. Because she likes you for you!"

Honeymaren peeked through her fingers at Ryder, "What makes you think so?"

"Call it brotherly intuition. And the fact that I caught her staring at you like, all morning. I didn't actually want to go fishing earlier but it was getting super awkward."

Honeymaren snorted, "Sorry about that... Maybe you're right. I just need to stop panicking every time she looks at me, that's all."

"It'll be fine. Just, take it slow and be yourself." Ryder clapped his arm around Honeymaren's shoulders "You got this."

"Do I? I don't feel like I do..." She sighed and flopped her head against Ryder's shoulder. "You make it sound so easy."

"Well, that's the scary bit about love, isn't it? You never know." Ryder smiled "Wait, are you actually listening to me?"

"Wait, love? It's not that serious, I... yeah, I guess I am." She snorted and ruffled his hair, "Don't get used to it."

Ryder puffed up his chest "I won't let it go to my head." he picked up his stew and started eating "So, do you know when she's coming back?"

Honeymaren shook her head. "I assume in the next day or so, but it depends on what the issue is that she needs to help with."

Ryder nodded but didn't respond, finishing off his stew as he watched the fire's tendrils lick at the night sky. "Well, I think I'm going to sleep now. Catch you later, sis!"

When Elsa rode back to the Enchanted Forest, her mind was reeling and clouded by worry and doubt. Maybe she had read Honeymaren's signs wrong. Maybe she was giving off the wrong signs. What even were the right signs? Dealing with feelings had never been her strong suit. She had kept herself locked away during her formative teenage years when most youth tried to figure out their emotions, so she was definitely behind in that area of development. Instead of going back to the village, she urged Nokk across the Dark Sea to Ahtohallan. Maybe a good meditation and reflection session would do her good.

She sat for hours in the Hall of Memories, looking through glimpses of the past, trying to see a sign or something that could help her. She paused on a memory she had of her and Anna playing Enchanted Forest (how ironic), the night her father first told them about the existence of the real Enchanted Forest. Anna was babbling about the prince coming to save the princess and kissing and true love. She could see that even as an 8-year old she was grossed out by the idea of kissing someone. Was it kissing in general or was she opposed to the idea of having to settle down with a man? If the latter, did that necessarily mean she wanted to settle down with a woman? 

Flashing forward to her time as Queen, she had received several guests, potential suitors. And objectively, the suitors had been good looking men, just, they did nothing for her. She had politely dismissed them all. Which was tricky because she didn't want to bring potential war to Arendelle over the rejection. It was clear in her expressions that she had come to accept the fact that she would be alone all her life. She would rule Arendelle as an unmarried Queen. "Mother, what do I do?" she whispered to the cold silence.


	6. Chapter 6

True to her nature, Elsa ran away from her feelings. Several months passed and she still hadn't talked with Ryder for advice with Honeymaren. Instead she threw herself into learning more about the Northuldra, their culture and way of life, how to fix fishing nets, how to craft with wood, tan hides. She had even attempted to learn how to skin a rabbit, but she had to excuse herself to throw up. She also spent time teaching Yelena how to write in her language while trying to learn the Northuldran glyphs. It was helpful that their spoken language was the same, mostly it was transcribing basic phrases into the respective written language and memorizing.

Elsa didn't necessarily avoid Honeymaren, she was polite whenever their paths crossed, but she did her best not to seek her out either. Elsa figured that she was busy with tending the herds, especially through winter, which turned out to be completely true. Honeymaren and Ryder went on short trips to take the reindeer to distant pastures to make sure they got enough food, and were sometimes gone for a week or more. She had managed to quell Anna's incessant questioning whenever she went back for her weekly visit to Arendelle by giving her the same reasoning. "Ah, distance makes the heart grow fonder" Anna grinned dreamily. _Always the romantic._

One spring day Elsa found herself in Ahtohallan, watching memories in ice. She did this a lot. She sat there watching intently but eventually her eyes started to droop and she soon fell into a dreamless sleep. When she woke up she looked around the cavern and gasped. Every inch of space was covered with memories of her and Honeymaren. She covered her mouth with her hands as she stood and spun around the room. It was there, clear as day. She couldn't argue it anymore. She knew what she had to do, even if it terrified her. She summoned Nokk and quickly returned to the village.

Since Elsa had returned from her castle visit, things had been... Different. It was as if she was just another girl from the village, and Honeymaren started to wonder if that was for the best. She'd always thought Elsa was out of her league, and she was the _fifth spirit_ for Ahtohallan's sake... She had other things to concern herself with. And Elsa never brought up their plans of traveling again, so Honeymaren had to assume that was nothing more than a daydream. It wasn't going to _happen_ ... Unless she went off on her own. Could she? Maybe that was what she needed. Time away from the village, away from the reminders of what might have been. _Focus on what IS_. She told herself as she readied Horren for travel.

She'd told Yelena and Ryder of her plans and assured them that she'd return within a week's time. She packed a good amount of food, but brought everything she'd need to hunt and provide for herself along the way. Elsa was away from the village now, Honeymaren reminded herself that it was probably for the best. She mounted Horren at dawn, her gear attached to his harness, and she rode him Northwest, not pausing to look back at the village behind her.

Elsa rode Nokk all the way to the center of the village, his thundering gallop was almost enough to drown out the sound of her own heart beating rapidly in her chest. She was finally going to talk to Honeymaren about her feelings. It was approaching early evening by the time she returned, everyone should have been back from their daily chores. She hopped down and thanked Nokk before releasing him back to the water. She hurried through the camp looking for Honeymaren, first checking around the dinner circle, but when that came up empty she went to her tent. She stood a moment to settle her breath before tapping on the thick hide door. "Honeymaren, are you in?"

Ryder looked up, that was Elsa's voice. He cleared his throat and got up, peeking out of the flaps. "Uuuh Honeymaren went for a... Ride."

Elsa took a step back "Oh... ummm... will she be gone long? It's dark out and shouldn't she be back by now?"

Ryder winced, "Oh... Um, she, uh, she's going to be gone for a while. She went to, um, explore."

Elsa's face and heart sunk, she couldn't hide her disappointment, nor did she try. She had told Honeymaren that she would go with her, but she had been so wrapped up in figuring out ( _ahem, hiding from_ ) her own feelings that she had completely neglected Honey's. "Oh... I see."

Ryder hesitated, seeing the disappointment in Elsa's eyes made even _him_ ache. "... She'd thought that you didn't want to go with her anymore." He admitted, "But I know she'd be happy if you joined her, she only left this morning. You could catch up to her, still?"

Elsa shuddered, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, looking down at her feet "Are you sure it wouldn't be intruding?"

"No! No, I know she wants to see you." Ryder assured her. "I think she left when she did because she didn't want to have to say goodbye to you..."

"What do you mean?" Elsa looked up from the ground, her eyebrows furrowed together in thought. "Why wouldn't she want to say goodbye to me?"

Ryder met Elsa's eyes with a soft shrug, "Because it would have hurt more... She really cares about you, but... She doesn't think she's good enough to deserve, well... I'm talking too much, you should ask her yourself."

"She does?" Elsa mused, reflecting on the small moments they had shared together "But I'm the one who let her down, I promised her I would go with her." she wrung her hands together for a moment but then snapped her head up. She had three years of crisis control experience and she knew that this was not the time to wallow. _It was the time to act._ She was going to find Honeymaren and she was going to stop dragging her feet and talk to her about how she felt. "You know, you're right. I should ask her myself. GALE!" she called out to summon the playful wind spirit. When she felt the signature rustle of leaves she looked up "Can you please help me find her?"

Ryder smiled a little, hopeful. The wind spirit twirled around Elsa and whistled off to the Northwest.

Elsa watched the stream of leaves and then ducked into her tent, grabbing the travel bag that Honeymaren had made for her, stuffing it with a waterskin and rations and other supplies she might need. Last she grabbed the little hunting knife that Honeymaren had given her. She held it a moment, reflecting on when Honeymaren had given it to her and the sweet yet awkward moment of their hands brushing together, before she tucked it safely in her boot. _How could she have been so blind?_

"I'll be back." She gave Ryder a nod of thanks before hurrying back to the stream to call for Nokk, quickly turning him to ice and hopping up onto his back before shooting out into the darkness. She didn't care about the half dozen faces that were watching her storm about the camp like a whirlwind, nor did she notice the light flurry she left in her wake. She was on a mission.

Elsa rode through the night. Honeymaren had nearly a full day's head start, but she wasn't going to stop until she found her. They rode across the tundra, Gale whistling along beside her, helping guide them with the leaf trail, Bruni perched on her shoulder. It was as if the other spirits could feel her distress and wanted to help in some way.

Honeymaren found a place where she felt would be safe to camp for the night. The open air was already helping to cleanse her mind, the wide open space was exactly what she'd always dreamed.

As she began to settle in for the night, Horren roped to a nearby tree as she built her temporary camp, she felt a strange silence come over the trees around her. Horren began tugging at his ropes, panic fresh in his eyes. Honeymaren sucked in a breath and quickly rushed to her spear, readying herself just in time to see six sets of eyes surrounding the camp, accompanied by low growls. She gripped her spear tighter and began to shout. "Get away! I don't want to fight you but I will!" She tried to make herself sound big and scary, but she doubted it was working. One wolf she could handle, but a whole pack?

Elsa was grateful that Nokk seemed to have an endless pool of energy, his gallop never wavered. She wondered how far Honeymaren could have gotten in a day, but she figured at the pace she was traveling they could catch up in a couple of hours. She felt the wind start to whip furiously around her "What is it, Gale?" more whooshing, as if the wind were trying to convey a message of urgency. "Is there trouble?" her question was met with a whistling sound and her heart clenched "Come on, faster, Nokk!" she coaxed. They were already traveling at breakneck speed, but somehow she felt the water horse lurch forward and move even faster.

Honeymaren watched as the wolves crept out from the shadows of the trees into her clearing. One of the braver ones lunged forward with snapping jaws and Honeymaren gave it a solid kick to the jaw, sending it back several steps with a whine. Another saw its opportunity and darted in from behind her, biting her ankle. Honeymaren cried out and jabbed at it with the butt of her spear to force it back, but the damage was already done. She was at a serious disadvantage.

Elsa crested a hill and gasped at the sight in front of her when she saw Honeymaren on the ground, being circled by 6 very hungry looking wolves. It took every ounce of her willpower not to immediately shoot up ice spikes out of the ground and impaling them all. But she felt her anger and adrenaline coursing through her veins and knew her magic was out of control, she couldn't risk hurting Honeymaren. For the first time in her life, she felt an unbridled rage boiling deep in her gut, flowing like wildfire in her veins. 

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Elsa roared, her voice unfamiliar, loud and booming as it echoed across the land. If she wasn’t so hyped up, the voice probably would have scared her. She had very rarely ever raised her voice beyond a light shout before. Even when she had yelled at Anna at her coronation it was calm, controlled. This was deep and ominous. She jumped down from Nokk, planted her feet and clasped her hands above her head a moment to focus her powers and then threw her hands forward, palms facing outward. She released the energy coursing inside her in the form of a localized blizzard, powerful icy winds swirled around the camp. Yes, it would make Honeymaren cold, but it was the only way she could scare off the wolves without harming anyone or anything. After all, the wolves were just doing what was in their nature. She couldn't fault them for it, even if she didn't like it.

Honeymaren heard the _roar_ of a familiar voice and looked up to find the source but was met with a vicious frozen wind. She moved to the nearest tree to anchor herself as the frigid winds began swirling around camp. 

The wolves growled and began to retreat, one by one they took off at a run, deciding that it was no longer worth their trouble.

Once she saw the wolves running away, Elsa lowered her hands and rushed toward the camp "Honeymaren!" she called out. Her blood was still pumping hard in her veins but the threat was over at least. She saw her behind a tree and rage quickly gave way to fear. She ran over to her, falling to her knees and sliding across the blanket of snow for the last few feet. She threw her arms around her, clutching the other woman tightly to her chest, checking for any unintended frost damage. "Oh, Honeymaren! I'm here, I've got you. Are you hurt?"

Honeymaren gasped when suddenly the cold winds turned into Elsa's arms around her. "I... How are you here?" She said instead.

"Ryder told me what you were doing." Elsa rocked her softly, unwilling to let her go, a frosty tear fell from her eye. "Oh, Honeymaren, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been so selfish."

Honeymaren put her arms around her as well, "I'm okay. Just a scratch, really, and I should've been more careful, I think the smell of meat attracted them, I was just about to cook the rabbit I caught..." She shook her head, finally taking in what Elsa had said, "What? No, this wasn't your fault at all. I just... Thought you didn't want to go with me anymore."

"I did. I do! I... I was just so wrapped up in figuring out myself that I didn't realize how much I had isolated myself." Elsa cried softly, just the thought of how much she had accidentally hurt Honeymaren emotionally made her heart clench. She loosened her grip but still cradled her in her lap. She looked out to the distant horizon, unable to make eye contact, tears flowed more freely down her face as the guilt weighed heavily on her. "Honeymaren, I never meant to hurt you."

Honeymaren ran her hand over Elsa's pale hair, in awe of how much this had affected her. "I'm so sorry, I... Elsa, please, look at me?" She coaxed gently, her own eyes starting to water.

After a few moments Elsa slowly turned her eyes to meet Honeymaren's. She was used to maintaining direct eye contact with others, though at such close proximity, this had a different, more intimate feeling to it. She sat there in silence, her eyes never wavered their gaze.

Honeymaren searched her eyes gently, taking a moment to just truly lose herself in them before she spoke. "Whatever we assumed about each other before, whatever conclusions we came to, let's just... Let them go and start over, yeah?"

Elsa wasn't entirely sure what Honeymaren meant but she nodded her head, "perhaps you are right." her voice was still shaky as she was coming down from her adrenaline rush. She sighed "If we're going to start over, then I think the least I can do is be upfront with you." She finally broke her gaze and sat up a little straighter "About the reason I went away so much."

Honeymaren nodded slowly, "Okay, let's... Start with that." She encouraged, "And I have some things to share, too."

Elsa nodded "As long as I can remember, my life has been dictated by fear of others knowing about my powers and trying to control my emotions. Conceal, don't feel. And when I got here, when I met you, I... started feeling something and I didn't know what it was or what it meant. It scared me. After I talked to my sister, it made me question myself... Even now when I am in more control of my power than ever, I am still so afraid of what I can do, what I could do if I ever lost control. So just like I did when I was a child, I hid myself away, in a place where I can't hurt anyone. But I realize that there is more than one way to hurt someone... that I care about." Elsa admitted softly.

Honeymaren watched her eyes as she listened, reading her sincerity as she spoke. "I... I left the village because the idea of being a disappointment to you was too frightening. I was so scared that I had imagined any sign of interest that you'd shown in me, that you were just being polite, that I convinced myself that must have been the truth, that you only agreed to come out here with me to be polite, and it's not that I think you're insincere! I just... I was afraid. Afraid that maybe you did like me and I did something to ruin it. So... I left. Before you came back. Because if you were there, I'd have had to talk to you and somehow running away before we had the chance was the better option..."

Elsa listened, her heart tightening in her chest "I think we've both learned that running away was not the best option."

Honeymaren chuckled sadly, "Yes... Well. I think we've both realized just how stubborn we can be, too." She sighed, "So... Enough avoiding it. Elsa, I _like_ you. More than I should, I think. I think you're beautiful, strong, and just... Amazing."

Elsa's face brightened up "I think I like you, too. Well, I know I like you, but like _like you_ like you. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I honestly don't know what it feels like. The only people I saw during my most formative teenage years were my tutors and occasionally my parents. I never got to experience a crush before. But I think that's what I'm feeling? It's all so new to me. I just know that I feel drawn to you in a way I have never experienced and in a way I can't fully explain. And it scares me. But I'm not going to run from it this time."

Honeymaren's entire body tingled with excitement. Elsa had a crush... _On her_. Her pants grew a little tighter, reminding her of one other detail to address. "Since we're sharing... I, um... I don't know what you might call it in Arendelle or how they feel about people like me, but I... I'm intersex. I have a little, well, not that little, something that most women don't have." She blushed, "I think you already knew, but I was too nervous to tell you before."

Elsa raised an eyebrow "I was wondering about that. I mean, I wasn't wondering like that... I just... Umm." she grinned "So when we were riding Nokk together... that was your, um... _friend_ I was feeling against me?"

Honeymaren covered her face with an embarrassed laugh, "Yes... I, um, didn't think about that before I climbed on and it felt even weirder to say something in the moment."

Elsa chuckled "I didn't mind."

Honeymaren peeked through her fingers and smiled, "Really? I'm glad. But I'm sorry if it was awkward at first. I was just so nervous around you, I wanted to make a good impression..."

"Oh, you definitely made an impression" Elsa smirked "But seriously, don't worry. You are you, and I admire how strong and determined and beautiful you are. Even your stubborn side."

Honeymaren chuckled and pressed her forehead against Elsa's gently. "I count myself so incredibly lucky to have met you... And even more so for this moment, right here."

Elsa's breath hitched, she could feel Honeymaren's breath dancing across her lips and there was nothing she wanted more than to just lean forward and close that gap between them. She returned the gesture and focused on keeping her own breathing steady.

Honeymaren savored the feeling of Elsa's chill skin against hers, soft and smooth. "Can I kiss you?" She said, looking into her eyes.

Elsa's heart was beating so hard it almost hurt her ribs "Yes, I would like that." she closed her eyes and tilted her chin forward as she spoke, barely finishing off the last word before her lips were pressed firmly against Honeymaren's.

Honeymaren kissed her back, her own heart fluttering in her chest. Her lips were just as soft as she'd always imagined, her touch just cool enough to send a little pleasant shiver through her, like the first hint of fall in the air.

Elsa melted into the kiss, one hand reaching up to cup Honeymaren's chin before slipping into her hair, pulling her close. For something so simple, the feeling it was giving her was absolutely intoxicating. She wanted more. She needed more. She wanted to know how Honeymaren tasted. She slowly parted her lips slightly and let the tip of her tongue slide across Honeymaren's lower lip. Suddenly she felt that all too familiar swirling inside her chest and she pulled herself away, leaning back up against the tree trunk as far as she could. She looked at Honeymaren with wide eyes. There was a decent amount of snow falling around where they sat "I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Honeymaren pulled back and blinked, unsure why Elsa had stopped until she saw the snow, felt the chill in the air. She chuckled softly, "I'm fine..." A wince crossed her features as she tried to move and quickly remembered her injured ankle. "Right... I forgot I was a temporary chew-toy."

Elsa looked down "Oh my gods, why didn't you say something earlier!? Lean back" She switched spots with Honeymaren and reached into her pack and grabbed a medicine kit. She carefully removed Honeymaren's boot and pulled out some herbs that were used to disinfect wounds. "Here... these should help." She also waved her hand to dissipate the snow that she had created, both with the wolves and from their kiss.

Honeymaren chuckled through the pain, "I... Was more interested in you." She said honestly. "I forgot it hurt." She took the herbs and applied them to the wounds, which gratefully weren't too deep. "Thank you."

Elsa smiled and grabbed a roll of cloth, gently wrapping it around the injury. She pinned the cloth in place with a very small amount of ice. "Hey, Bruni? Could we have a little assistance with getting the fire going again?"

The little salamander had been napping up on a branch above them and scampered down quickly, skittering across the leaf litter of the clearing and hopping into the fire pit Honeymaren had made earlier. Immediately the logs roared to life in a bright purple flame.

"Thank you." she smiled and walked over to the fire, laying out their sleeping furs. She grabbed the rabbit that Honeymaren had caught earlier and walked away from camp to skin and gut it. "Catch a few more of these and I'll make you mittens." she smirked as she returned to the camp, feeling rather proud of herself for the chance to demonstrate some of what she had learned.

Honeymaren watched her make short work of the rabbit and smiled, "You're getting good at that... I'd love some mittens."

"I threw up the first time I tried to skin anything. Areia was so patient with me." Elsa admitted with a chuckle and set the rabbit over the flames.

Honeymaren snorted, "Well, you've come a long way." She watched Elsa in the firelight as the sun lowered beyond the horizon. She was so incredible, and somehow, she liked Honeymaren back. Even in her wildest dreams, she'd never imagined something like this happening to her. Restless, she got up on her good foot and limped over to the fire, "I can help, I don't want to make you do everything..."

"Sit your stubborn backside down before your hurt that ankle further." Elsa ordered firmly "You spend too much time trying to help others, please let me help you for a change."

Honeymaren rolled her eyes, but obeyed. She plopped down on the fur next to the fire, "I just feel so useless... But thank you."

"I'll let you make it up to me some other time. Just not when you're injured" Elsa snorted, slowly turning the rabbit over the fire.

Honeymaren sighed, but there was still a hint of a smile at her lips. As grumpy as she was about being rendered mostly useless, she couldn't complain _that_ much about letting Elsa take care of her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be warned... this chapter is explicit

Once the rabbit was set over the spit, Elsa shifted a little closer to where Honeymaren was sitting by the fire. She leaned back on her free arm, which she subtly scooted toward Honeymaren's hand, their fingertips barely brushing. She kept her eyes fixed on the fire when she spoke again "You know, I really enjoyed that kiss earlier. Maybe with some more practice I might be able to learn control of my, um, wilder side... if only there were a beautiful woman who could help me."

Honeymaren blushed hard and raised her hand. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Elsa smirked and turned her body to face Honeymaren "My hero." she leaned her head forward, her lips desperate to feel Honeymaren's again.

Honeymaren laughed and happily kissed her back. She knew in that moment she would never grow tired of the feeling of Elsa's lips against her own.

After what could have been minutes, seconds or hours, Elsa pulled away with a grin and looked around "No snow..."

Honeymaren grinned, she'd honestly forgotten about that part of the directive. "Knew you could do it." She winked.

Elsa smiled and hopped up to check the rabbit. It was a little charred, which led her to believe they had spent quite a bit of time with their lips locked. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of that feeling. How's your ankle feeling now?"

Honeymaren gazed into her eyes, "What ankle...?" She murmured, then came back to her senses. "Oh. Right. It's not bad, as long as I don't move it much."

Elsa shook her head softly "well, we should probably rest it tonight but do you think you can make it back to camp tomorrow? The herbs I have won't last long enough for a full recovery." she pulled one of Honeymaren's hands up to her lips and kissed her knuckles softly "my dear, I hate to tell you this, but I think we've accidentally awoken whatever sleeping beast I had inside me and it has no intention of settling down."

Honeymaren chuckled and gave her a wink, "I think I can manage that... And yes, I think our adventure can wait until I'm healed..."

Elsa smiled and leaned her head on Honeymaren's shoulder "So... what does this mean for us now? In Arendelle I suppose our custom would be to court one another, but I do not know what it's like up here."

"Well... The Northuldra have a few different ways to describe it. Intended, for when you've both agreed to be together and see where things go, betrothed when you're promised to wed, and of course partners once you've committed. I guess it all just depends." She rested her head on Elsa's, savoring her closeness. "Will you be my intended, Elsa of Arendelle?"

Elsa squeaked happily and wrapped herself around her "It would be my absolute pleasure, Honeymaren of Northuldra." She smiled and kissed her gently. But something clicked in the back of her mind and her eyes shot open as she processed the thought "Can two women be intended? That is not something traditionally accepted in Arendelle... I mean, there are a few people who are, but it's never spoken about. Oh gods, what will they say? Actually no, I don't care what the people say... but what will  _ Anna _ say? When I tried to talk to Anna about my feelings, she immediately thought I had feelings for Ryder! Oh... oh no... this is..." as she felt her anxiety start to rise, a thin layer of frost started to spread across the ground, radiating outward from her.

Honeymaren quickly captured both of Elsa's hands in her own, trying to meet her frantic eyes. "It'll be alright... It's perfectly normal, and--" she paused as she processed what she'd said, then laughed, "Ryder? She thought you liked  _ Ryder _ ?"

Elsa blushed and nodded, trying to calm her emotions. "Yes... and I tried to correct her but I got interrupted. Oh gods, she thinks I like Ryder! What do I do? What should we do? What if she shuts me out?"

Honeymaren snorted, shaking her head. "She won't shut you out. Why don't we go tell her together?"

Elsa looked at Honeymaren, grateful for her calm demeanor, she felt her panic start to ease as she lost herself in those hazelnut eyes. She reached up to cup her cheek "You'd do that?"

"Of course I would! I'm proud to be your intended," she grinned, "I want everyone to know. And I'd love to get to know your family better."

Elsa nodded slowly "I'm proud to be yours, too. I hope you don't take my reservations as a sign I'm not interested... it's just... centuries of traditions... I can't believe how understanding and accepting the Northuldra are. I never realized how oppressive and small minded things were in Arendelle. And you're right. If Anna can accept the fact that I'm the fifth spirit, then this should be no problem." She smiled, feeling her confidence return.

"Exactly!" Honeymaren chuckled, "Since when have normal rules applied to you anyways?"

"That's very true..." Elsa smirked and pulled Honeymaren in for another kiss "Seriously, I cannot get enough of your lips. And I'd like to try more... but only if you're feeling, um, up for it."

Honeymaren smirked a bit, "I'm up for anything that doesn't involve my left ankle. Even then, that's negotiable."

Elsa grinned and took the rabbit off the fire, shoving the rabbit-less end of the spit into the ground to save for later. When she sat back down she didn't sit down on the ground, this time she faced Honeymaren and lowered herself down, straddling her lap.

Honeymaren's face brightened with a blush of excitement, and her already tight pants only grew more constrained as her cock hardened. "Oh. Oh... Hi."

Elsa groaned softly as she felt Honeymaren pressing against her inner thigh “oh... wow... that’s bigger than I remember...” she gently rocked her hips forward suggestively.

Honeymaren chuckled and shrugged, "What can I say, I--" she stopped and groaned as she felt Elsa move against her. "Oh... Yeah." Words, suddenly, were very difficult.

Elsa smirked “oh, you like that?” It was an honest question, despite how suggestive it sounded. She had only read a few books with more explicit matter, enough to give her a theoretical starting point on what to do but not much else. And she was far from experienced in application. Even as a teenager with raging hormones, she didn’t even try to pleasure herself, suppressing any feelings of lust along with all her other emotions.

"Y-ye-yeaah." Honeymaren chuckled out breathlessly, rocking her hips back against Elsa's. "That feels nice. Very... Nice."

Elsa clung tight to Honeymaren’s shoulders, continuing to grind on her. A soft moan escaped her lips. “Gods, Honey... I want to feel you.” She whispered huskily in her ear.

Honeymaren felt a shiver through her body originating from her groin, and it wasn’t from cold. "Well, we... We are alone. And I want you, badly. And for the record, I can't help but melt when you call me Honey..."

“Anything for you, Honey.” Elsa smiled shyly, leaning forward to plant soft kissed along Honeymaren’s jaw and neck. Her hands were busy untying her hair from its braid, then playing with the dark wavy locks cascading down Honeymaren’s back. She could feel a heat radiating from between her legs, coursing through her body. It was as if her logical mind turned off and all her actions were being dictated by her desire. She had never let herself go like this before, allowed herself to feel like this. All those years of keeping herself in check, being the perfect girl she thought she had to be as the future queen of Arendelle… out the window. And she didn’t care. She bucked her hips forward letting out another low moan, tossing her head back “oh my gods... yes, please, Honey.”

Honeymaren shivered with desire again below her, straining against her leather pants. "Elsa... How-how far do you want to go?" She asked breathlessly.

“I... want it all.” Elsa snapped her head forward and looked deep into Honeymaren’s eyes, a little startled by her confession. Her inner fire was roaring and there was no stopping it now. Years of repressed emotions and desires burned inside her, begging to be released. And she was tired of holding back.

Honeymaren nodded, her gaze locked in Elsa's. "Then how about we do something about these clothes?" She suggested with a smirk.

“Thought you’d never ask” Elsa grinned and slowly melted her dress off, tantalizingly slow, making a little show of it. She enjoyed watching Honeymaren drinking in the view. It made her feel desired in a way she never thought possible before this moment. 

In the moments of watching Elsa remove anything that left her imagination wondering, Honeymaren completely forgot about her own clothes for a long moment. Finally, she snapped back into the moment and fussed with her clothes, fighting to get them off in a way that was monumentally less graceful than Elsa's disrobing.

Elsa smiled shyly, she placed her hands under the hem of Honeymaren’s top, tentatively touching her firm stomach, trying to encourage her to get her clothes off quicker.

Honeymaren worked at pulling her top off first since that's what Elsa seemed to want, victoriously tossing it aside with a grin once she was free of it. She shimmied out of her pants next, a little nervous as her cock bounced free, still quite hard even as she kicked her pants away, and her remaining boot with them.

Elsa reluctantly moved off Honeymaren’s lap to allow her to properly disrobe. She watched with wide eyes as the rest of her clothes came off. She had read several books about biology so she knew what to expect at least theoretically. And while she didn’t have any experience to compare to, she could tell Honeymaren was rather well endowed. She smiled shyly and leaned back in for a kiss, her hand trailing down Honeymaren’s neck, across her collarbone and muscular chest and coming to rest over her heart. She stopped and pulled out of the kiss, her eyes searched for confirmation that this was okay.

Honeymaren kissed her back, her own hands finding their places at her waist. She looked into Elsa's eyes with a nod, "I'm ready if you are."

Elsa leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Honeymaren’s. “Just, tell me if it doesn’t feel right. I don’t know what could happen. I’ve never done this before.”

"Me either. I just know we should be careful, I don't know if I can get you pregnant or not." She admitted, blushing hard.

Elsa nodded. It hadn’t even dawned on her that pregnancy was a potential outcome for her. But she was still half human, so she supposed there was potential risk and she didn’t fancy finding out the hard way. She carefully crawled back onto Honeymaren’s lap, nervously biting her lip as she lowered herself down. She could feel her member pressed between her legs, the length sliding against her warm, wet folds. And it felt amazing. The fire in her stomach immediately flared back to life and it left her warm and wanting. She moaned softly, burying her face into the curve of Maren’s neck, nibbling the soft skin as she started to rock herself against the cock below her, pressed against her particularly sensitive bundle of nerves. “Oh... wowwww...” she gasped.

Honeymaren grasped Elsa's hips, already succumbing to the pleasure that had just only begun. It was the most amazing feeling, being pressed against her, feeling her slow rocking, her heat. She'd expected her to feel cool, but she was positively radiating. "That's... Oh." She groaned, giving her hips a little squeeze.

Elsa moaned softly, absolutely loving the feel of Honeymaren’s hands on her skin. She reached down and started to massage one of Honeymaren’s breasts, gently rolling the nipple between her fingers, as she continued rocking in slow figure 8 motions.

Honeymaren panted, she wasn't even inside her yet but it felt amazing. "Oh Elsa..." She groaned, hard and wanting against her. She didn't want to rush her, but she couldn't wait to feel inside her.

Elsa’s breath was becoming jagged and uneven, words failing her as she continued to grind Honeymaren’s lap, her mouth slightly agape. “I want... you... inside me” she managed, her icy gaze fixed on those beautiful hazelnut eyes.

Honeymaren nodded eagerly, "Uh huh." Words. Not happening. She pressed her hips back up against her, "I want you." She murmured, sitting up to grasp the back of Elsa's neck, kissing her hungrily.

Elsa gladly kissed her back, full of passion and urgency, then reached down and grasped her member, her fingers barely able to wrap around it “oh... wow.” She gripped her tight and raised her hips forward, guiding it up toward her entrance, sliding the tip across her wet lips before easing it in.

Honeymaren gasped as she felt her head enter Elsa's soft, warm folds. "Fuck, fuck, fuuckkkkk-" she groaned, pressing her lips to Elsa's neck, biting her softly.

Elsa gently pressed Honeymaren in further, it was a tight fit and she was struggling to remind herself to breathe. “Oh gods, yes!” She moaned loudly, her free hand locked into Honeymaren’s hair. She rocked her hips forward and back, taking more length in with each push until she was sitting flush against her lap. She sat there a moment, panting heavily, to let her muscles stretch and grow accustomed to being completely filled like this.

Honeymaren groaned and held onto her, panting heavily. The feeling of being inside Elsa was more pleasurable than she could have ever imagined. She rocked into her, keeping with the pace Elsa set.

When she was ready, Elsa raised herself up on her knees, almost pulling off of Honeymaren but then sank back down with a breathless gasp, starting to rock up and down like this in a smooth rhythm. She didn’t know if minutes or hours passed, nor did she care. All she knew was the fire burning inside her was building, spreading throughout her body until she felt as if she might burst. She clung to Honeymaren’s shoulders for dear life, her nails digging into skin, her back arching, legs shaking as she felt her insides clenching hard around Honeymaren’s cock as her orgasm ripped through her body. “Oh gods, oh gods... Honey... you feel so good. Ohhhh! Fucking shit...” She cried out to the heavens, cursing out loud for the first time in her life.

Honeymaren couldn't even process the shock of hearing Elsa swear, her mind too focused on their movements, on her warmth around her length. She started moving faster, she was already on the edge of orgasm, "Elsa, I'm--"

Elsa snapped her head forward when she heard her speak “you’re what?” She panted breathlessly, her mind still fuzzy as waves of heat flooded her limbs as she started to come down from her orgasm. The release was more amazing than any feeling she had ever experienced before. Why had she waited so long? Oh, right, because she had never felt such strong feelings for someone else before. Never wanted to do this with anyone else before.

Honeymaren shivered at the sound of her voice, and it was just enough to send her over the edge. But then she felt Elsa spasming around her cock and let out a deep moan as her orgasm ripped through her. She spurted into Elsa and clung to her through the waves of pleasure, finally catching her breath as they receded. "Wow..."

Elsa sat there, legs still twitching, watching Honeymaren’s reaction was almost enough to get her going again. When she felt Honeymaren still below her, she carefully pulled off, feeling a rush of warm liquid dribbling down her inner thigh “wait... did you...?” panic instantly started to rise inside her.

Honeymaren blushed hard, "I... Tried to warn you... Sorry. We can get you some grey mallow tea back at the village, that'll... Um, help eliminate the risk of, you know..."

Elsa’s concern melted away as she heard there was a solution and nodded slowly. She slid off of Honeymaren’s lap and sat next to her on the sleeping fur, resting her head on the other woman’s shoulder “that was amazing. And no ice!”

Honeymaren stretched out on the sleeping fur, dazed and grinning. "You were amazing... And so  _ warm _ ."

"You are" Elsa happily curled up next to her, resting her head on Honeymaren’s muscular chest, her fingers playing gently with her full breasts. “I never knew that would feel so good and I never thought I could have that in my life.”

Honeymaren made a sound like a purr, happily laying beside her. "I never met anyone I really felt strongly for before... Not like I feel about you. And I can't believe we just..." She gestured to the both of them with a chuckle, "That was definitely not what I thought tonight held for me..."

Elsa chuckled "Me either. Though we should probably leave at first light to get that tea... wouldn't want another spirit running around the forest now, would we?"

Honeymaren blushed and chuckled, "No, not at the moment." She snuggled up to Elsa, holding her close.

Elsa closed her eyes with a contented sigh, feeling safe and warm against her lover "I love you, Honey." she murmured as her eyes slipped shut.

Honeymaren nuzzled her face into Elsa's hair, breathing her in. "I love you, Elsa." She didn't have to think twice, she  _ knew _ .


	8. Chapter 8

Elsa slept deeply that night, her mind felt clear and free. Instead of the usual nightmares, her mind replayed moments from their evening and other fantasies. She awoke with a pleasant shiver from a particularly sensual dream. A smile crept across her face when she looked over at Honeymaren sprawled out on the fur. She leaned forward and kissed her awake “time to wake up, Honey. We should be getting back. Your bandage needs to be changed and I need that tea.” She reluctantly rolled out of the mess of furs and formed her ice dress before setting about to pack up camp. She chuckled when she saw the cold rabbit on a stick next to the fire “whoops... looks like we skipped dinner and went straight to dessert.”

Honeymaren woke with a slow grin, "Mmm... No complaints here. But you're right." She stretched and yawned, "We should get moving." She got up and got dressed, then set to packing up her things again as she hobbled around on her injured ankle.

Elsa sighed “not on your ankle! So help me I will freeze you to the ground if I have to!”

Honeymaren looked up, surprised, then snorted and sighed in defeat, "Alright, alright... But I'm not going to like it." She assured her, leaning against the tree Horren was tied up and giving him some attention.

Elsa watched to make sure Honeymaren didn’t start working again then finished packing camp, tying the gear to Horren’s saddle “what should we do? we can ride faster with Nokk but probably shouldn’t leave Horren alone and defenseless. But time is of the essence.”

"He knows the way back to the village and even with the gear he can probably keep pace just fine. Reindeer can be fast when they want to be."

As if on cue the large ice horse dame trotting up “thank you for staying, Nokk.” Elsa pressed her forehead against the horse’s before jumping up on its back. “Ready, Honey?”

Honeymaren grinned, taking Elsa's hand to climb onto Nokk's back behind her. "I'll never get tired of you calling me that. It melts me. Seriously."

Elsa smiled broadly, leaning back to steal a quick kiss before leaning forward or urge Nokk to run. 

At a full gallop the pair was able to make it back to the Northuldra village by midday. Elsa hopped off Nokk first, holding her arms up to help Honeymaren down without hurting her ankle further. “So... who do we talk to about the tea?”

Honeymaren kept a hold on her hand as they both got down, "Yelena. A few others know how to make it, but she'd probably not like it if we went around her for this..." She chuckled uneasily, "Oh, she's going to judge me so hard."

Elsa blushed “oh... well, I mean, it takes two… so, it’s well known what that tea is for? We can’t say it’s because I have a muscle ache or something?” 

"Um, yeah, it's a special blend especially for... That. And only that"

Elsa’s blush deepened “well... I guess we should go face the music...” she reached out her hand “please lean on me if you need, okay?” Elsa took a breath and mustered her courage “okay... where might she be?”

"Follow me." She tried to summon her brave face, making her way to the center of the village.

Elsa followed her hand clasped tight to Honeymaren's, fully aware of the many faces that turned to watch them walk together.

Honeymaren waved to the onlookers, trying to keep things casual and friendly as she made her way to Yelena. Finally, she found Yelena's hut and paused outside of the entrance. "Yelena, can we come in?"

Yelena, the eldest leader of the Northuldra, was sitting in her tent. She was busy preparing various herbs and was completely caught off guard by the voice at her door. "Honeymaren? We weren't expecting you back for another week or so. Is everything alright?"

Honeymaren stepped inside, gently guiding Elsa in with her with a sheepish smile. "We, uh, ran into each other in the forest... By that I mean she found me. Um... Could you make some grey mallow tea for Elsa by chance?" She asked, wincing even as she said it. Yelena would know exactly what that request implied.

Elsa took a deep breath and followed Honeymaren into the tent. She would face whatever consequence for her actions, but she hoped dearly that Yelena would be understanding.

Yelena stood when she saw both Honeymaren and Elsa enter her tent, her eyes trailed down to their clasped hands. She did not respond to Honeymaren's request, instead she put her hands on her hips and looked between the two young women. fixing each with a very knowing gaze. After a silence that lasted far too long she sighed softly. "Honeymaren..." she said, barely a whisper.

Elsa cringed. She could handle being yelled at, but the sheer disappointment in Yelena's tone made her feel very small. Her mother had talked to her the same way as a child whenever she needed a stern talking-to, never raising her voice, but the message came through loud and clear.

Honeymaren blushed hard and lowered her gaze. "I... Don't have any excuses. But I promise we're not going to make this a habit! We just... Got carried away..."

Yelena folded her arms across her chest "We've had this discussion before..."

"I know! I know, and I'm sorry, we just were overwhelmed and it was our first time and I should not be telling you all of these details but--" she sighed, "I know better, I promise. But we should get Elsa her tea quickly, right?"

Yelena sighed "How long has it been since you two had sex?" 

Elsa coughed. She knew the Northuldran elder was very blunt to say the least, but something about the way she talked on this subject, so matter of fact, felt like she dropped a boulder on her stomach.

"Last night..." Honeymaren took a deep breath, "It's still plenty of time, right?"

Yelena nodded, finally breaking her steely gaze on the pair. She turned and headed over to her desk, picking up vial after vial of herbs until she found what she was looking for. She took the jar of grey mallow over to the fire and got busy preparing the remedy. "I truly hope you do not make a habit of this. This is not a cure all and it does not have a perfect record. But it should help, if there was limited intercourse."

Elsa wanted to melt into the floor as she watched Yelena at work. She squeezed Honeymaren's hand tight to keep her in place.

Yelena brewed the tea in silence, letting them take in the gravity of what they had done and what might still come if the tea didn't work. After letting the tea steep she ladled out a bowlful and handed it to Elsa "All of it. And when you're done, if I may have a word with Honeymaren. In private. But come back tomorrow morning for another dose. Better safe than accidentally pregnant."

Elsa did as she was bid, bringing the wooden bowl to her lips and drinking. To say that it tasted horrible would have been the understatement of her life. She would have rather been the solo judge of the entire Lutefisk Festival. But the alternative? She definitely couldn't even consider that possibility.

Honeymaren bit down on her lips, knowing that she was in for a talking-to. "Of course."

Elsa kept drinking, forcing down her gag reflex by the time she got to the dregs of the mixture. She  _ had _ to. Finally the bowl was empty and she handed it back to Yelena, keeping her face as complacent as possible. She looked quietly between the two and then excused herself, hurrying back to her tent, as her stomach was suddenly feeling rather uneasy.

Yelena waited in silence for Elsa to finish the drink and leave. Only after they were alone did she turn to Honeymaren, speaking in a hushed yet urgent whisper "What were you thinking?"

Honeymaren winced in earnest, "I... Wasn't. I know that. I was just still in shock that she came after me and to be fair, I was injured, and we just... Did it."

"You are injured?" Yelena lifted an eyebrow

Honeymaren shrugged, "A wolf got my ankle, but I know that's no excuse..."

"And somehow being injured leads to sex?" Yelena just shook her head. "And you shouldn't be so surprised that she would go after you. She cares about you, she's been wrestling with her emotions for months. I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it. It was agonizing watching you two pine over each other from a distance. Even Anna sent me messages to try to get you two to work together!" She sighed to calm herself again and took a step forward. She put her hands on Honeymaren's shoulders "I just... she's the Lost Spirit, and you're to be the next leader of our people when my time comes to leave this world... I just don't want to see either of you hurt." It was actually one of the most heartfelt things she had said in many years.

Honeymaren searched Yelena's eyes and nodded slowly, "Yes. I mean, you won't. I... I know Elsa and I moved pretty fast. Very fast. But we'll be responsible from now on. Careful."

“Fast would be an understatement.” Yelena chuckled knowingly "First loves are funny that way. It happens, but like I said, most people do not have the responsibilities you both bear, so the consequences aren't as dire or uncertain for them. If you were to conceive, your offspring... I don't even know what that would mean. Even when you were a young girl I felt there was a connection between you and our ancestors. That's why I chose you as my successor. That bond... It is the bond of our people's past and present and future. The Northuldra have always had a connection with the spirits, but clearly you have an even deeper connection with one. You never were one to be bested, I'll say that much."

Honeymaren nodded and smiled a little back at Yelena. "I never will back down from a challenge, that's for sure..."

"Clearly, of all the people in this world, you find the one who is not entirely of this world." Yelena scoffed. "Look, I'm glad you found someone who cares for you like you care for her. Just, please be careful and consider what you're doing. But I've kept you from your lady for too long. You should go to her, once you've had that ankle checked out. She will be feeling very unwell for a while. I believe Areia has a batch of moose bone broth going for tonight, that should help settle her stomach a little"

Honeymaren nodded, "I'll take care of her." She promised, "Thank you, Yelena." With a smile, she reached out and hugged her tightly.

Yelena hugged her adopted daughter back "Love you, Maren. I know you two will take care of each other."

She nodded and pulled back after a moment, "I love you, too." Honeymaren hobbled out of the hut and made her way to the healer, though she saw Ryder's smiling face just before arriving. 

"Hi, brother..."

Ryder straightened up, taken rather aback by her overly formal greeting "Um... ‘hi brother?’ Since when do you talk to me like that? Is everything okay?"

Honeymaren sighed, "Sorry, I just... Have a lot on my mind."

"Wouldn't be about a particular goddess of snow and ice would it?" He chuckled, following her to the healers. "I see she found you..."

Honeymaren blushed wildly and nodded, "Yes, well..." She smiled at him, shrugging nonchalantly. "We're intended now, so..."

Ryder coughed "Oh, really? That's... new... Wait... Does that mean I get the tent?! YESS!" he grinned broadly, punching the air "Wait, why are you on your way to the healers?"

Honeymaren chuckled, "I'll have to ask Elsa, but... Probably. And I got bitten by a wolf, but it's no big deal."

"Seriously? I kinda meant it as a joke, but you two are that serious?" Ryder raised an eyebrow. "And why were you talking so long with Yelena? I mean, it's not my business... but you look like you're floating on a cloud. Except the limp... did you two... ummm?"

Honeymaren smirked and crossed her arms. "I don't kiss and tell..."

Ryder grinned broadly "Well, whatever it is, I'm happy for you both and that you two finally talked it out… and then some. I'm just glad whenever I find someone, neither of us will be the one to have to drink that shit tea! Am I right?"

"How did you know about the tea?" She narrowed her eyes.

"What? I wasn't eavesdropping! Intentionally... tent walls aren't exactly thick..." Ryder held up his hands defensively in case Honeymaren decided to throw something at him. “But don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

Honeymaren snorted, "Sure, sure... Could you do me a favor while I'm with the healer and ask Areia to get some broth ready? I'll bring it to Elsa on my way back."

"Can I just point out that you went off to find yourself, and instead return with something that was in front of you this whole time? Took you two  _ ages! _ I'm just glad you both finally got there on your own. I was going to have to run intervention with the reindeer soon!" Ryder grinned and then nodded at her request "Sure thing, you can count on me..." he hurried off.

Honeymaren chuckled, "No reindeer intervention required... That's for looking out for me, bro." She smiled to herself and hobbled into the healer's hut, getting her bandages changed and accepting a cane to help her get around until her ankle healed. She headed to Areia next, fetching the broth, and returned to Elsa's tent. "Elsa?" She waited just outside the flap for an answer.

Elsa rolled over onto her back with a soft groan "Come in..."

Honeymaren moved into the hut with the help of her cane, the bowl of broth in her free hand. "Thought you might feel better with some fresh broth..." She carefully knelt down beside her, offering it to her.

Elsa tried to sit up against her pillow, wincing a little but managing, "Thank you." she took the bowl in her hands "It smells good."

Honeymaren felt a pang of guilt at how rough Elsa seemed to be faring. "I'm so sorry... I don't plan to put you in this situation again. I'll be more careful, I promise."

"We didn't know... it takes two to dance. And it was wonderful, just next time I will know your signs better." Elsa smiled weakly, sipping her broth "Oh... that's good. I will say I'm not looking forward to my second dose tomorrow."

Honeymaren nodded, "I'll take care of you until you feel like yourself again. And even after that."

Elsa chuckled softly "Thank you, Honey." she set down the bowl and laid back down on her sleeping mat, holding her arm out for Honeymaren "Please?"

Honeymaren smiled and happily stretched out beside her, wrapping her arms around her.

Elsa nuzzled against her, burying her face in her chest, feeling safe and comfortable. "You did an amazing job on this tent, by the way. Did you intentionally make it large enough for two?"

Honeymaren blushed and nodded, "Wishful thinking on my part..."

Elsa chuckled and leaned her chin forward to plant a few soft kisses along Honeymaren's collarbone. "I'm glad you did." she closed her eyes "Well, I think the news is out about us being intended... did you see how many people were looking at us when we returned?"

Honeymaren chuckled, "Yes... I'm certain more of them saw it coming than I thought."

Elsa nodded and pursed her lips together "Yeah... in retrospect, we were kind of obvious, weren't we? Does your ankle feel better? I noticed the walking stick."

Honeymaren smiled, "It's already feeling better, he just wanted me to keep off of it more, so the stick helps with that."

Elsa nodded "Good. So, I guess the only hurdle left is telling my family... do you think you'll be up for that once your ankle is fully healed?"

Honeymaren grinned, "Oh yeah. Bring it on! I can't wait."

Elsa sighed "I know it will be fine... it just makes me so nervous. And having to explain it to Olaf... I'm not looking forward to that."

Honeymaren kissed her cheek, "What's there to explain? We love each other."

Elsa hummed in agreement and closed her eyes "I never thought I'd have someone like you in my life." she shifted a little "I think I'm going to try to sleep off the nausea, but I hope you're here when I wake?"

"I'll be right by your side. I promise." She ran fingers through her hair gently.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also explicit... This makes Ch7 look like child's play.

It took about a week for Honeymaren's ankle to heal. Fortunately it was as she said and the wound wasn't that serious. Elsa enjoyed the opportunity to dote on her intended, reluctant as Honeymaren was to accept the help. And to Honeymaren's credit, Elsa only had to freeze her boots to the ground once to get her to stop trying to wrestle with the reindeer. Otherwise she had been rather compliant. Elsa made a point to send a message to Anna that she was going to be unable to attend Family night that week because she was feeling under the weather, conveniently omitting the reason, but she would come Friday of the next week. She knew her sister had a full plate and she was not going to add worrying about her health to Anna's troubles. 

By the time Friday rolled around, Elsa was a nervous ball of energy. She knew in her heart it would be okay, but she still worried what others might think about her being with a woman. She packed a few days’ worth of clothes and supplies, it was Honeymaren's first visit to Arendelle and she wanted to be able to show her around. She even opted for wearing traditional Northuldra clothing to travel in instead of her ice dress. She wanted Honeymaren to have something familiar close to her. She stuck her head into her tent to check on Honeymaren, who had mostly moved in. "Are you ready?"

Honeymaren hoisted her backpack over her shoulder, smiling up at her, "Ready! And you look great in the leathers." She trotted out of the hut, happy to be able to move freely again. "Are we taking Nokk? You still need to tell me how you fought with him in the Black Sea of all places..."

“Thank you.” Elsa grinned and smoothed down her tunic "They're very comfortable, far softer than my ice clothing." she grabbed Honey's hand "Well, I had intended to take Nokk, but if you'd be more comfortable by land, we can do that as well. Either way, I will tell you the story on our ride."

"I trust you, and I trust Nokk. But I definitely want to hear that story on the way!" She smiled, squeezing her hand.

Elsa snuck a quick kiss and led the way to the stream. The water horse burst out of the water with a soft neighing sound “yes, she’s much better now, thank you for your concern.” She addressed her fellow spirit before turning to Honeymaren “Nokk was worried for you because the last time you rode him you were injured.” She froze the horse and hopped up, scooting forward to make room for Honeymaren behind her, offering a hand to her.

She took Elsa's offered hand and climbed up to sit just behind her, pleased at how nicely they fit together. "Ready!"

Elsa urged Nokk forward, taking off at a steady gallop across the tundra to the fjord. Along the way she described her first encounter with Nokk when she was trying to cross the Dark Sea to reach Ahtohallan. Tactfully of course, she didn’t want to anger the water spirit as they were crossing open water.

Anna was beyond excited to see Elsa. Despite the reassuring letter that all was well, she couldn’t help but worry. She couldn’t remember a day that Elsa was sick. She stood on the balcony of the castle watching the fjord for the figure of her sister riding across the sea on her water horse. Of course Nokk wasn’t her horse, but it still sort of seemed that way. When she saw their shadow galloping across the waves she squealed and hurried down to the docks to meet them, grabbing Kristoff along the way to fill him in on her plan. She knew Elsa had been skating around her feelings for Ryder for months and it was high time for sisterly intervention to get that ball rolling already!

Honeymaren grinned as she saw the docks come into view, Arendelle was beautiful. It was so different than she'd imagined, stretched out with little houses all around the fjord with a giant castle that seemed to jut out from the land. "Wow..."

Elsa couldn’t help but grin “yes, it’s rather different from up north. Welcome to where I spent my childhood.” She smiled even more broadly when she saw two figures standing on the docks “oh look, Anna and Kristoff came down to meet us!”

Honeymaren held onto Elsa as Nokk ran ever closer. She really wanted them to like her, they'd only met a few times, and she was starting to worry.

Elsa put a hand over Honeymaren’s when she felt her grip her tighter “it’s okay, don’t worry.” 

As soon as Nokk reached the docks he bowed down to make it easier for Elsa and Honeymaren to dismount before running off with a loud neighing and disappearing into the water. 

Elsa ran forward and embraced her sister and her fiancée “wow, what a royal welcome! You remember Honeymaren, yes?” She gestured behind her to encourage Honeymaren to come closer.

Honeymaren stepped forward and bowed, unsure if that was the proper greeting for the Queen. "It's good to see you again."

Anna returned here greeting with a shallow curtesy before moving forward to take their hands, leading them back up to the castle, one on either side. “Oh I’m so glad you’re here! Are you hungry? Come let’s have tea and you can tell me all about your adventures!”

"That sounds wonderful, thank you." Honeymaren smiled and stood straight. She was tempted to take Elsa's hand, but remembered that they needed to actually tell them first.

Elsa tried to catch Honeymaren’s attention behind Anna to give her a look to try to comfort her. “It’s okay...” she mouthed quietly before turning her attention to Anna. If there was silence she knew Anna would try to fill it and inevitably say something awkward or inappropriate “can you order some pickled herring and chocolate? Those are two of my favorite things and I desperately miss them.”

Kristoff chuckled, "She's already taken care of that. She's got a whole tray of chocolates ready, there's a new chocolatier in town. Her business is absolutely booming thanks to this one" he winked and gently nudged his fiancée. 

Elsa couldn’t hold back a squeal “you’re the best! Honey, you’re going to love chocolate! We should bring some back with us!” She slammed her mouth shut when she realized her slip up.

Honeymaren grinned, blushing at the use of Elsa's nickname for her. "I'm excited to try it! If you love it, I'm sure I will."

Anna looked between the two women flanking her with a raised eyebrow “Honey, huh? Well I guess that makes sense... Honeymaren is kind of a mouthful if I’m honest.”

Elsa turned bright red. After their previous encounter, they had tried experimenting with things and she had discovered she quite enjoyed sucking Honeymaren’s cock. And she  _ was _ quite a mouthful... Her mind wavered to a particularly inappropriate thought and she accidentally sent out a blanket of light frost from her feet “oh... sorry!” She quickly waved her hands to melt the ice.

Honeymaren coughed a little and shook her head, "It's alright... Most people call me Maren, you can use that if you want, Anna."

Anna furrowed her brow but didn’t press why Elsa got to call her Honey “as you wish, Maren. So after our tea I have a few meetings to attend, you’re welcome to explore but please come back for dinner! I’m having a special surprise for tonight!”

Honeymaren smiled, "That sounds wonderful, I'd love to see more of Arendelle!"

Elsa grinned “sounds perfect.” She walked in silence as they made their way up to the castle, Anna rapidly chattering about different points of interest along the way. She was excited to see Anna of course but she was really looking forward to showing Honey around.

Anna stopped talking a moment “oh, so unfortunately I was just expecting Elsa and only had one room set up. Are you both okay with sharing? I can have Gerda get another room ready...”

“It’s fine, we can share. Sometimes we share a tent when traveling, so it will be plenty spacious.” Elsa blurted out quickly, maybe too quickly.

Honeymaren chuckled to herself, "We're not shy. One room is perfect. I'll feel more comfortable with someone familiar around anyways." She winked at Elsa.

Anna nodded “thank you for being so understanding!” 

Once inside the castle Anna let go of Elsa and Honeymaren’s hands as she swept into the parlor, gesturing to the large tray of assorted chocolates with an exaggerated flourish. “Dear sister, I know you have such a sweet tooth...”

Elsa beamed and grabbed Honeymaren’s hand, dragging her over to the tray “oh Anna, you outdid yourself!” She inspected the chocolate and quickly selected one for herself and one for Honeymaren “you’re going to love this!” She grinned, popping the candy into her mouth. She stood there with her eyes closed, savoring the flavor as she chewed slowly. This one had caramel filling and was to die for.

Honeymaren chewed slowly and her eyes lit up, "Oh... Oh." She groaned, going a little cross-eyed as she took in the flavors.

Elsa grabbed the entire tray and took it with her over to the couch. It was very unqueenly behavior but she didn’t care. She wasn’t Queen anymore. 

Anna just sat quietly and waited for Elsa to get it together before starting the conversation back up.

Honeymaren followed her lead and sat on the couch with her, taking another of the little chocolates. "These are so good!"

“I’m glad you like them” Anna smiled and cleared her throat before launching into what she was about to say “as it happens, Maren, I’m glad you’re here. There are some matters I wish to discuss.” She sipped her tea casually.

Honeymaren blinked, "With... Me?"

Elsa looked up,  _ what on earth could Anna be up to? _

Anna straightened up “yes. I love my sister more than anyone and I know she is very, umm, inexperienced with feelings. And the last thing I wish to see is her hurt...” she paused and took another sip of tea. 

Elsa gritted her teeth. Either Anna was still trying to set her up with Ryder or she was giving Honeymaren the shovel talk. Either way it was painful. She grimaced “Anna, are you sure you want to talk about this right now?”

Anna nodded “now, I can’t help but notice that you seem to be very close with my sister...”

Honeymaren nodded slowly, steeling herself. "Yes. We have grown very close in our time together." She smiled at Elsa, asking silently if she was ready with her gaze.

Elsa cleared her throat.  _ Right, it was now or never _ . “Yes, um, about that. I have grown close with...”

Kai came into the room “Your Majesty, I’m sorry to interrupt... the dignitaries are here.”

“Thank you, Kai. I will be right there.” Anna responded formally before turning to her sister with a loud squeal “oh I can’t wait to hear more about it! You finally figured out your feelings? That’s wonderful! I’m sure Ryder is a very happy man!” And with that she swept out of the room.

Honeymaren stared after Anna, her lips parted as she was about to correct her, but it was too late. "Oh..." She looked to Elsa, then to Kristoff awkwardly.

Kristoff looked between them, unsure exactly what was going on. "Well, um... Do you want to look around town? Sven and I could give you a ride?"

Elsa’s eyes were wide as she watched Anna leave, her mouth still open. “Shit.” She swore quietly. She turned her attention to Kristoff “yes, I think we will drop our belongings off in my room and then go down to town. But we can walk, thank you.”

Kristoff nodded, "Got it. Okay. I'll just..." He gestured to the door and slipped out quickly.

Honeymaren sighed, "Well, this just got more awkward..."

Elsa buried her face in her hands a moment before peeking through her fingers “I’m so sorry. She gets on her kicks and it’s nearly impossible to stop her talking once she gets going.”

Honeymaren chuckled, "Well... Maybe we should be a bit more forward about it... The sooner we say something, the less awkward it will be."

Elsa nodded “For the record ‘with Honeymaren’ was what I was going to say. How did I get interrupted with just two words left to say?!” She stood “well we can deal with this later. Would you like to see my room?”

"I would love to!" Honeymaren smiled, "Lead on."

Elsa gave her hand a quick squeeze before she tossed her travel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the unfinished tray of chocolates.

Honeymaren grabbed her bag as well and followed, "I'm excited to see where you grew up."

Elsa smiled and led the way down the familiar hallways to her room. “Here we are.” She opened the white door and moved aside for Honeymaren to enter. The room was made up as Anna had said, logs already burning in her fireplace. Another tray of sweets sat on the old desk along with Sir Jorgenbjorgen, Elsa’s childhood penguin toy. Otherwise the room was rather sparse, save her desk, wardrobe and oversized bed. She wrung her hands nervously, wondering what Honey would think.

Honeymaren stepped into the room with a warm smile, looking around at all of it in wonder. "Oh, you have a little penguin! I had a little reindeer doll when I was a girl..."

Elsa grinned “oh, Sir Jorgenbjorgen! he was my friend when I was alone all those years.” She sat down on her bed, patting the space next to her “I do miss my bed...” she chuckled, then a smirk spread across her lips. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking”

Honeymaren grinned back, "I am now... I mean, we do have time, and I did bring protection..."

Elsa licked her bottom lip with anticipation. She hopped up from the bed and strode over to Honeymaren, wrapping herself around her girlfriend, kissing her hungrily. Her hands rubbed her strong arms. Feeling her muscles through her light tunic was rather exciting. She kept kissing her as she started to unlace her top. Once her tunic was open she bit her bottom lip as she gazed lovingly at Honeymaren’s bare top, her hands found two things to keep them busy.

Honeymaren melted against Elsa, drunk on her touches, her scent, every part of her that she could sense. She gently reached out to unlace Elsa's top, hungry for more of her.

Elsa paused what she was doing long enough for Honeymaren to take her top off then she got back to work. She grasped Honeymaren’s hips and guided her backwards to the bed, leaning down on top of her once she was in a good position. She trailed soft kisses down her jaw and neck, spending a considerable amount of time kissing and playing with her breasts with one hand. Her other trailed its way further south, rubbing over the bulge in her pants. "Well, feels like someone's rather eager." she purred in Honeymaren's ear, nibbling the lobe. “Why don’t I take care of that?”

Honeymaren laid back and arched her back beneath Elsa, panting. "Uh huh..." She murmured, rocking her hips into Elsa's hand, her cock hard in her leggings, straining against the light layer of leather.

Elsa bit her lip as she crawled up on top of Honeymaren and pressed her pelvis against her lap a few times.  _ A little teasing never hurt, right? _ She scooted off the bed and took hold of the waistband of Honeymaren's trousers, gently easing them off her until they pooled at her ankles. Elsa reached out and took hold of her, gently stroking the length, her crystal blue eyes locked on Honeymaren's as she lowered herself down, finally pressing a soft kiss to the tip.

Honeymaren shivered and shuddered at her touch, "Oh... Oh hello." She chuckled and looked down at her.

Elsa grinned and stuck her tongue out, swirling it across the head. She remembered the night that she and Honeymaren made stew together (well, Honeymaren stirred the stew and Elsa failed miserably at stirring duty) and grinned wickedly. She pursed her lips together and blew across the tip, a little flurry of snowflakes escaped her lips.

Honeymaren groaned and gasped as she felt a breath of cold across the sensitive skin of her cock. "Oh fuck..."

Elsa smiled to herself. To reward her for the cold, she decided to warm things up. Flattening her tongue she pulled Honeymaren into her mouth, slowly bobbing down the shaft, taking in more and more with each forward motion until she could take no more without gagging.

Honeymaren arched her back and twisted her fingers into the bedspread below. "Elsa..." She moaned, hot and hard in her mouth.

Elsa hummed happily as she kept up her motions. One hand found its way to the part of Honeymaren's shaft that her mouth couldn’t cover, gently twisting, the other reached up to play with her balls, rolling them in her palm. After a few minutes her jaw started to stiffen and she pulled off, gazing lazily down at her girlfriend.

Honeymaren looked down at Elsa with a lazy smile. "That was amazing... I've got, uh, protection... In my bag, if you want?"

"Just let me feel you for a few minutes, then yes." Elsa crawled up on the bed, straddling Honeymaren's lap. She was plenty excited from her earlier endeavors and so Honeymaren slid in easily. She groaned loudly, she knew she would never get tired of the feeling of the first push. "Yesssssssss..." she sighed before leaning forward, resting her hands on Honeymaren's shoulders as she started to bounce herself up and down.

Honeymaren moaned deeply and grasped Elsa's hips, her eyes rolling back in her head.

Elsa happily rode Honeymaren until she started feeling her body start to build up to a climax.

Honeymaren tilted her head forward to watch Elsa’s movements. As much as she loved watching her dick disappear and reappear from inside Elsa and could easily lose herself to the feeling, she did her best to maintain control, not wanting to bust too early.

Elsa felt her orgasm rip through her, clenching tight around Maren’s length. She rocked her hips a few more times, holding onto Honeymaren’s shoulders to keep herself from falling over before she reluctantly climbed off. "Protection. Now. It’s your turn." she gasped, flopping onto her back and waiting for Honeymaren to return.

Honeymaren panted and nodded, rushing off the bed to rifle through her things. She pulled out the natural condom she'd brought and slipped it on, hurrying back to the bed. "Okay, ready."

Elsa grinned and rolled over, getting onto her hands and knees "Me, too." she arched her back and looked over her shoulder, fixing Honeymaren with the most seductive look she could muster. "Please, Honey... I can't wait any longer."

Honeymaren absolutely  _ melted _ . She nodded and quickly lined herself up with Elsa and pressed into her with a groan, starting up a quick pace.

Elsa gasped loudly, still sensitive from her first climax. "Oh, fuck..." her legs instantly shook as Honeymaren hit her at a particularly good angle. She clung to the blankets as if her life depended on it. She rocked her hips back against the thrusts, trying to take in as much length as she could. She loved the way Honeymaren filled her, waves of shock and pleasure rippled through her body with each thrust. "Please… harder..." she begged, grabbing a pillow to try to muffle her screams of pleasure.

Honeymaren held onto her hips, digging her fingers in a bit as she quickened her pace, feverishly bucking into her. Elsa was warm,  _ hot _ inside and it wasn't long before she felt herself riding the waves of pleasure to their crest. Her orgasm shook her from the inside out and she drove herself deep into Elsa's warmth, gasping out as she came.

Elsa cried out, dropping down to her elbows as she lost the strength to hold herself up a second orgasm ripped through her. "Oh my, fuuuuuuckkk" she screamed, not bothering to try to keep her voice down. They had sex many times but this was a particularly powerful orgasm. There was also something freeing and meaningful about this experience. She was making love to Honeymaren in the room that she spent so long hiding, hating who and what she was. Now she could finally be herself, with someone who loved her for everything she was. She felt herself letting go of her past fears and replacing the bad memories with ones of love.

Honeymaren held her flush against herself as she rode out both her and Elsa's orgasms. As she finished, she curled around Elsa and pulled them down so that they laid on their sides, Honeymaren wrapped around her from behind. "You're amazing... I love you so much, Elsa."

Elsa gladly rolled over, her knees giving way. She lay there in Honeymaren's arms, her chest heaving as she tried to regain her breath, her usually cool skin covered in a thin layer of sweat. "I love you, too, Honey." she rolled over to face her and pressed their foreheads together. "mmmm, you know what could make this moment even better?" she smirked and rolled over, grabbing a random chocolate off the tray. She returned to her original position, holding the chocolate between her lips, offering half to Honeymaren.

Honemaren laughed as she saw the chocolate and happily closed the distance between them, biting off half of the chocolate for herself. "Mmmn..." she groaned as she ate it.

Elsa smiled as she chewed her portion, her hand lazily draped over Honeymaren's waist, gently tickling her side "I just want to lay here forever."

Honeymaren closed her eyes and stroked Elsa's arm, "We could... well, not forever, but we have time, right? Nowhere to be, nothing to do... At least for now."

"Mmhmm..." Elsa murmured sleepily "maybe a quick nap before dinner?"

"Yes please." She snuggled up closer, happily letting her heavy eyes stay shut.


	10. Chapter 10

Elsa slept soundly until a sharp knock on the door roused her from her slumber "Your Maj... Your Highn... Miss Elsa?" Kai's usually steady voice was still full uncertainty when he addressed her "Dinner will be served soon, if you and your guest would like to make your way to the dining hall, if you please."

Elsa's eyes snapped open "Oh, ummm... yes, we will be there shortly. Thank you, Kai." she reluctantly untangled herself from Honeymaren, stretching wide as she sat up. The room was dark, the coals long since burned down to a dull glow.

Honeymaren sat up, blinking away the fog of sleep. "Oh right... dinner." She stretched and swung her legs off the bed, unused to something so fancy. "Right. That requires clothes..."

Elsa chuckled "Yeah, I'm fairly certain that I mentioned that everything around this castle functions like clockwork?" she rolled off the bed and made her way to the hearth, tossing a couple of logs onto the fire. Normally she wouldn't care or notice the chill, but she didn't want Honeymaren to be cold. She set a pot of water over the flames to heat up so they could quickly wash themselves before finally putting on a fresh pair of clothes, again opting for classic Northuldra garb in lieu of her usual ice attire.

Honeymaren found a cloth and once the water warmed enough, began to clean herself off, as well as the condom. She stashed it away and put her clothes back on, adjusting herself so that her member was as hidden as it could be. "Alright... How's my hair?"

Elsa smiled as she watched Honeymaren move in the firelight. "Mmm, come here." she grabbed a comb and set to brushing out Honeymaren's long dark locks before quickly braiding it back up. "Like nothing ever happened." She smirked, waving her hand and using her magic to smooth out her hair and fashioning it into her classic side braid.

Honeymaren smiled and reached out to touch her braid, "As much as I like your hair down, your braid is so cute... especially with this." She grabbed their hats and plopped Elsa's on her head with a laugh, then put on her own.

Elsa grinned, she couldn't contain the love she felt for the woman in front of her, nor did she want to. "Perfect. Shall we?" she opened the door and offered her arm "Don't worry, it's okay for women to hold arms. Oddly, hands is a different story, but whatever."

Honeymaren hooked her arm through Elsa's and smiled, "Well, good to know. So, shall we rip off this bandage quickly, then? Tell her right off the bat?"

Elsa nodded "Yes, I think that best." She led the way down the hall towards the dining chambers.

Honeymaren nodded and walked beside her, excited to tell Anna the truth.

Anna was nervously pacing, waiting for Elsa and Honeymaren to arrive, talking random jibberish to Kristoff, who just smiled and listened to her. 

"Anna, why don't you give her the chance to come clean and explain herself before jumping to conclusions?" He offered, having spent the better half of the afternoon trying to figure out the interactions he had observed earlier between Elsa and Honeymaren.

Anna blinked at Kristoff, "What do you mean? She basically already admitted to liking Ryder, and then she comes in with his sister, I mean, why else would she bring her with her, right? They're so friendly, they're practically family already!"

Kristoff grimaced "Uhhh..." his voice cracked, "She didn't exactly get a chance to finish what she was saying earlier."

Anna frowned, "... Wait, really? Was I talking over everyone again? Shoot, I didn't mean to, I should probably apologize..."

"A little..." Kristoff admitted sheepishly.

Anna blushed and nodded slowly, "Okay. Taking a step back, then, and I'm going to listen tonight. I'm going to listen so hard." She clenched a fist, determined.

Kristoff smiled and walked over to his wife-to-be, giving her a gentle squeeze "You're so determined, I love that about you." he planted a quick kiss before he heard the heavy oak doors swing open.

Elsa walked in with Honeymaren still on her arm, her head held high. She didn't feel particularly confident, but her inner voice was telling her she had to be. Otherwise it would just lead to more awkward misunderstandings. "I hope we did not keep you waiting."

Anna smiled as Elsa walked in with Honeymaren and hurried over to give them both hugs. "No, no. Not at all. I'm so sorry I got tied up earlier." She pulled away and headed to her seat at the head of the table, "Come, sit! I want to hear all about what's going on in your life, Elsa." She smiled, gingerly tucking her cloth napkin onto her lap.

Elsa released Honeymaren to hug her sister before taking a seat.  _ Shit _ of course Anna was letting her open the conversation. She subtly reached under the table and placed her hand on Honeymaren's knee for strength "Right... so..."  _ ahem _ she cleared her throat "Yes, there is something I wanted to talk about with you... well, something we wanted to talk about with you." she quickly glanced over to Honeymaren, taking comfort in their short gaze.

Honeymaren smiled and put her hand on Elsa's, giving her an encouraging nod. "Want me to say it?" She whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I got it." Elsa smiled softly "Anna... I am courting Honeymaren."

Anna blinked. She blinked again. "Excuse me,  _ wha _ t? You... two..." Her eyes widened and she gasped, then grinned. "Wait, really? I didn't even think-- Holy wow, that is not at all what I thought you were about to say!" She laughed, getting to her feet and setting her napkin aside. "Okay, this requires hugs."

Elsa smiled shyly before standing and moving toward her sister. "I was so worried you would disown me or cut me out of your life..." she admitted "Also, can you please stop with trying to set me up with Ryder?"

Anna hugged her tightly and shook her head, "What? How could you think I would ever want you out of my life after all we've been through? She frowned a little, pulling back. She snorted a little, "And yes, I'll stop that... I just thought that's who you had a crush on! But now that I know, of course I won't do anything like that again..."

"Well, it's not exactly openly accepted here." Elsa admitted, feeling a pang of guilt over the fact that when she was Queen and could have easily changed that law.

"It's not common, true..." Anna held onto Elsa's arms, "But guess who has the power to change that?" She smiled, "People will understand. How could they see it as anything but a good thing? It's love!"

Elsa smiled, hugging Anna tightly before moving over to Honeymaren, hugging her. This had gone so smoothly compared to the train wreck she was envisioning.

Honeymaren hugged her back, feeling more at-ease now that the secret was out. "Thank you for being so kind... We've been excited to tell you, but finding the right time was... tricky."

Elsa nodded "Thank you for being so understanding." she smiled around the table before picking up her silverware and starting to eat her soup. "Ummm... and I apologize in advance to whomever has to clean our room. I'd be happy to strip the bed before we leave." she admitted sheepishly, but she felt bad making someone else clean up after them.

"La, la, la, la... Nope!" Anna covered her ears "I'm glad you're in love and all but must you with the details?"

Elsa rolled her eyes "You made me endure countless nights gushing about Kristoff." she turned to the man in question "Congratulations, by the way" before turning back to her sister "Fair is fair!"

Kristoff blushed heavily, beyond grateful when the servants began to bring out the food. "Oh look, dinner! Let's eat dinner and talk about... not that."

Elsa smirked "You're right... so... what's new with you two? I swear if we don't get an invitation to the wedding soon I'm going to worry that you two are not going through with it!"

Kristoff chuckled, "We're working on it. We're actually at the point of picking out stationary, which is... not my strong suit. They all look the same to me."

"And on that note..." Anna smiled over to Honeymaren "Maren, would it be okay with you if I borrowed your girlfriend for some time tomorrow to help me with some of those details? Oh my gods, I never thought I would say that! I've been waiting for her to find someone since she was like, 8."

Honeymaren grinned and shook her head, "Go right ahead, I can't say I'd be much help in that area either. I have a feeling that Elsa will be, though."

Elsa planted her face in her hands for a moment after Anna's comment, eventually looking up with a smile "It would be my honor to help my baby sister."

Honeymaren happily sampled the food set before them, it was so strange to have people bring them food like this. It felt... unnecessary. But nice.

Elsa smiled and happily fell into the familiar rhythm. She liked learning to be self sufficient up north, but sometimes having someone serve you was nice, too.

Dinner went smoothly from that point on, Anna happily filling in the blanks of what had occurred in Arendelle in Elsa's absence, catching her up on the trade issues and resolutions, which had gratefully worked themselves out thanks to their loyal partners agreeing to stand with Arendelle. Once dinner and dessert had finished, they all bid goodnight, with the promise of charades the next night, and Honeymaren returned to Elsa's room with her, hand in hand. "That went well... Very well, I'd say."

Elsa smiled and held her hand tight "That went better than I could have ever hoped. Thank you. You make me feel so strong and confident."

Honeymaren smiled and nuzzled her before pulling away to take off her shirt. She was enjoying sleeping with less clothing than she used to, now that she slept with Elsa. "Because you are strong. I just get to help remind you of that."

Elsa grinned, blatantly staring at Honey as she undressed "Gods you are so beautiful" she finally managed. She hastily stepped out of her clothes and crawled up onto her bed, snuggling under the covers, her arm outstretched to beckon Honeymaren to her.

Honeymaren happily snuggled up next to Elsa, curling up next to her. "You're too gorgeous for words, Elsa."

Elsa smiled and wrapped her arms around Honeymaren “you’re too kind.” She kissed her forehead and closed her eyes. “Good night, my love.”

"Goodnight. I love you." She smiled and tucked her head into the crook of Elsa's neck, drifting off easily.

Elsa enjoyed getting to spend time with Honeymaren in town the next few days, taking her to her favorite restaurants and of course to visit the new chocolatier to commission several boxes to take back to the Northuldra. As much fun as it was to be in town she missed the simplicity of living in the forest. Thankfully Anna had been uncharacteristically un-nosy about the nature of their relationship, probably because the first morning she came bursting into Elsa's room in classic Anna fashion and was met with a sight she dearly wanted to get out of her mind. Elsa didn't mind the privacy one bit, she and Honeymaren were very active. On the ride back to the Forest, Elsa took Honeymaren on a detour up to see her Ice Palace. It was still a dark memory for her, but she wanted Honeymaren to understand more about her past and who she was and who she never wanted to be again.

After Elsa and Honeymaren left, Anna found herself busy organizing a meeting for updating the trade agreement with the Southern Isles. Once the King heard about what Prince Hans had done he had immediately stripped him of his title and renounced him from the family. Over the years, Elsa had worked to reestablish trade with them, for they had materials that Arendelle desperately needed, and while the relationship between the two countries was tenuous, it still held on good terms. 

After a particularly long planning meeting she sat in her office, head resting in her hands, nursing the oncoming migraine. She jumped when she heard a loud knocking, not from the door, but the window. She looked around, seeing a familiar swirl of leaves and a roll of parchment wiggling about. "Oh, hello Gale." she grinned, opening the window. She unrolled the scroll, expecting to see Elsa's elegant font but instead was met with a blotchy message, as if the writer had not held a quill in their life. Her heart sunk as she read it. 

Kristoff balanced a few small plates and a glass of chilled cider on a silver tray, carefully backing the door open with his shoulders. "I brought food, since someone seems to be forgetting meals lately... Wasn't sure what you might want, so I brought options."

Anna looked up from the letter she had read over and over, her hand over her mouth to hide her shock and concern. She looked over at Kristoff, trying to sound collected, but she knew her eyes would betray her worry. "How long has it been since Elsa and Honeymaren left? 5 days?"

Kristoff set down the tray, immediately aware of the panic in Anna's eyes. "Six, actually. What's wrong?" He put a strong hand on her shoulder, concerned.

Anna couldn't say, just handed him the letter and gripped tight to her desk to keep herself from falling over. After a moment of silence she spoke "They didn't make it back." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger everyone. Squid and I are working on getting more done soon so please be patient and we will post as soon as it's ready!  
> We hope that you've been enjoying the story :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! We kind of lost our direction but we are back in action! Updates won't be quite as quick as before but we'll be posting as we can. Thank you for sticking with us and we hope you enjoy this next installment :)

Anna clutched the crumpled missive. It was from Ryder and Yelena, asking if Elsa and Honeymaren were still in Arendelle. “They didn’t make it back” she repeated, barely above a whisper. It was her reality check, saying it aloud made it true.

Kristoff slowly read the letter, his heart clenching in his chest. "I'll get Sven ready and pack some provisions."

Anna could only nod, she felt numb. "Thanks, honey. I'll go tell Kai"

Kristoff nodded and rushed out of the room to do just as he said. He wasn't sure how long they would be gone so he packed for at least a week's journey and then made his way to the stables to update Sven and harness him for the trip.

Kai was very understanding and agreed to step in for Anna to make sure all business went on as planned. He knew better than to argue with Anna, her stubbornness was a family characteristic that he was quite accustomed to dealing with. Anna had her handmaid get a travel bag prepared while she was talking to Kai so she was able to make her way down to the stables right away.

Olaf saw Anna rushing around and waddled into her room after her. "Are you going on a vacation? Oh! Can I come? I've always wanted to go on vacation!"

Anna shook her head "Not this time, Olaf. I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the castle, okay? Can you do that for me?" she felt a little pang of guilt not taking him but she couldn't bear to listen to his useless trivia when she was so worried about Elsa and Honeymaren.

Olaf gasped and nodded, giving her a salute. "Aye aye, you can count on me, Anna!"

"I knew I could!" she feigned excitement and rushed down the hallway to find Kristoff and Sven. She was thankful her lady-in-waiting had thought to set out a travel appropriate set of clothes for her rather than her royal dresses. She moved much quicker in trousers and frankly she did not care what people said about her attire at this particular moment.

Kristoff had Sven out and waiting with his sled when he saw Anna coming. He offered his hand to help her up. "They were supposed to be heading back to the forest, right? So we should retrace their steps."

"They were on Nokk, how do you trace magic water horse steps? And I don't recall them taking the fjord, maybe they went by land? But either way, we should go to the Enchanted Forest, see if we can find any clues along the way." Anna spoke decisively.

Kristoff nodded, "Alright Sven, you heard her. To the forest!" He flicked the reins and Sven took off down the main road.

In any other circumstance, Anna would have loved a ride like this. She and Kristoff rarely got time alone together. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, sweeping left and right to look for anything out of the ordinary. A clue, a hint. Anything.

Kristoff kept his eyes out for any sign of tracks, movement, anything. It worried him, Elsa was so strong, it's not like anyone could really take her on in a fight. What could possibly have happened?

As the sun started to set, Anna suggested they take a quick rest so Sven could keep up his strength. She was too worked up to eat but she knew she had to force herself. Being sick and weak would not be helpful. She got a small fire going and waited for Kristoff to return with bigger logs. She sat, staring at the small flame and chewing on a strip of dried meat when she heard a twig snap behind her. She gasped and turned around, Kristoff had gone in the opposite direction. She grabbed a small dagger from her boot and held it out "Who's there?"

"Whoa, whoa, it's just me!" a familiar voice called out from the shadows. 

Anna relaxed a little "Ryder?"

Kristoff stepped back into the camp with both arms full of logs. He dropped them not too far from the fire, "Ryder, hey... Have you seen Elsa or Maren?" He asked quickly, hopeful.

Ryder shook his head sadly "I left to look for them shortly after we sent you that letter. Yelena was against it, but I can feel it in my heart, something is wrong. But I'm glad I found you, we can all work together!" He brightened a little

Kristoff nodded, "We could use all the help we can get. Why don't you camp with us tonight and we'll search more in the morning? Only so much we can do at night."

Ryder nodded, he had to admit he was exhausted and could use a break. "Yeah. Yep. Sounds good." he gave his classic awkward thumbs up.

Kristoff chuckled, smiling to himself. He felt more at ease knowing Ryder would be with them, though he couldn't see why exactly. "You hungry?"

"Always!" Ryder beamed

Kristoff grinned and nodded, "You won't be for long. Take a seat, make yourself at home."

Ryder grinned "Oh, sweet, thanks!"

Anna sat down on a log and watched Kristoff and Ryder's strange interactions. She knew her fiancée was a little socially impaired, but it was nice that he had found a kindred spirit in the young Northuldran man.

Kristoff took some of the veggies he'd packed and skewered them, roasting them over the fire. "They left Arendelle about six days ago. Any idea where they might have stopped between here and there?"

Ryder furrowed his brow "Six days ago? Even if they took the land, the journey is 2, maybe 3 days. And that's going slow. I can't think of anything close to the Enchanted Forest that they might stop at. I mean, I know Maren and Elsa were thinking of doing some trips and exploring the land but I feel like they would have said something to someone, ya know?"

Kristoff nodded, "A few days, I could see, but a week... Something's up." He sighed, looking at Anna's scrunched brow. "But Elsa can hold her own. I'm sure they just took a detour or got turned around."

"And Honeymaren knows the forest. I'm sure they're fine. But I'd feel a lot better knowing for certain." Ryder added, pulling out some nuts and berries. "Would Her Majesty care for a berry?" he jested, feeling rather proud of remembering the proper Arendellian titles.

"Just Anna, please." Anna took a small handful and started eating for something to keep her hands busy, her mind was unsettled, worried about Elsa.  _ How many times would she have to go chasing after her free-spirited sister? How many times would she have to save her? _

The next morning, Kristoff got Sven and Wallace harnessed up to the wagon "So, where should we go now? You checked the road down from Northuldra, right, Ryder?"

"Yeah. No sign of them. It's not like Maren not to take the road. I mean, she's good in nature, but this is strange, even for her. Is there anything close by that Elsa might have wanted to show her?" Ryder shrugged, hopping into the back of the wagon.

“Maybe her ice palace?” Anna suggested.

"Riiiiiight, I remember now... Was that what Olaf meant when he was singing about an 'Ice palace for one, ice palace for one' during his weird little show that he did when we first met?"

Anna finished getting herself situated in the wagon "Yeah... she made it when she ran away from her Coronation."

Kristoff nodded, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life..." He said, staring off longingly, a tear in his eye.

“Dear, you’re crying a little…” Anna teased, gently shoving him with her elbow.

Kristoff snapped out of it and blushed a bit, ice just got him excited. "Let's head that way then. I'll bet we can get there by nightfall if there's no fallen trees or anything on the main trail. It doesn't get much travel, so it's hard to say."

"No way, that's cool!" Ryder chuckled and settled back for the ride. After a while he spoke again "So... how did you two meet, anyway? Or can I not ask the Queen that or something?"

Kristoff chuckled, "Nah, we're happy to share, right love?" He glanced over his shoulder at Anna.

Anna managed a smile despite her lingering worry for Elsa, "Of course. You don't have to be formal with me, Ryder. Call me Anna."

“Anna” Ryder repeated, then looked between the two expectantly.

"Well, I was looking for my sister when she ran away from her coronation and met this snowy mountain man out at Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna... oh, you totally need to check it out, hot steam does wonders for the pores. I probably can't go but maybe Kristoff can show you the way! Anyway, yeah, so I kinda coerced him into taking me to the North Mountain, I threw a flaming bed roll at him to save him from wolves, got thrown off a 200-foot cliff... and ya know, the whole him coming back to save me from my frozen heart with an act of true love that turned out to actually be me saving my sister. But the sentiment still stands. Did I miss anything, love?"

Kristoff was still amazed by how many words Anna could fit into a single breath. "Uhhh... That pretty much covers it." He chuckled, "Except she was engaged to a man she'd just met that day when we first bumped into each other, and he turned out to be an awful human being in every way possible and my troll family tried to marry us on the spot, otherwise that's the whole story."

"Who agrees to marry a man they met the same day?” Ryder chuckled.

Kristoff snickered, "Hey, she came around. And to be fair, she'd been pretty much locked away from people most of her life and he was  _ very _ manipulative."

The trio traveled in comfortable silence for a few hours, Kristoff finally breaking the silence "So... I wasn't sure in my last visit, but are you and Maren like, next in line to lead? I got that impression, but I'm not sure how Northuldran leadership works."

"Nah, that's just Maren. She's the one who has the connection with the spirits and all... maybe better connection with some than others..." Ryder added with a grin, but he wasn't sure if Kristoff and Anna were aware of Elsa and Honeymaren's relationship.

Kristoff chuckled, "You mean her and Elsa? Yeah, guess that makes sense... They seem really happy together." He decided against mentioning that Anna had thought Ryder was the one Elsa was nervous about. 

"OH THANK GODS YOU KNOW! IT'S BEEN KILLLLLLLING ME KEEPING THEIR SECRET!!!!!" Ryder breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Once Elsa found out about that snake in Mare's pants, it's been like watching a starving wolf circle its unsuspecting prey! So awkward"

Anna sputtered from the back "WHAT!?"

Kristoff blinked, "... Snake?"

"Oh my gods, I put them in the same room! I should have given them a chaperone... oh, what did I do?!" Anna's mind was pulled quickly from its dark pit of worry. "You mean that Honeymaren has... a... a..." she blushed bright red and gestured awkwardly.

Kristoff looked at Anna, then at Ryder. "I... Don't understand."

Anna looked expectantly at Ryder "You brought it up, you get to explain."

Ryder gulped "Uh... right... so... Mare is kinda like Anna and Elsa... and kinda like you and me..."

Kristoff looked out at the road in front of them for a long moment, then suddenly blushed hard as realization dawned on him. "Oh, OH. By snake, you meant, um..." He gestured to his crotch with a quirked brow.

Ryder didn't mean to look, but he couldn't help it "Uh.......... yeah."

Meanwhile, Anna's mind was reeling "And she's been... they've been... Oh gods... All those jokes about her enjoying the woods she was enjoying one very specific kind of wood! Blargh! Someone please distract me! I don't want to know about my sister’s sex life. Oh, look! Leaves, very pretty leaves!"

Kristoff nodded quickly. "Got it. Okay. Yeah, I'm just going to pretend I don't know that because it doesn't really feel like my business, so... How about this weather, hmm?" He cleared his throat, looking up at the sky.

Ryder felt equally awkward, "uh, yeah... yup..."

"Pretty sky. Very pretty. Nice clouds."

The group fell into comfortable conversation with a light smattering of awkward moments, telling jokes and funny childhood stories (mostly at their missing siblings' expense) as Sven and Wallace pulled the wagon up the mountain side. 

Eventually the Ice Palace came looming into view, the giant ice staircase that spanned the chasm glistened in the sun.

"It's not the original Ice Palace." Anna commented "That one melted when Elsa... uh... you know. But she rebuilt this one, and it looks like she made some improvements. I must admit I haven't come here since my coronation."

Ryder looked up at the palace with eyes so big they looked like they might pop out. "Holy... Ice. That's... It's so beautiful. I think I'm gonna cry."

"That was my reaction too the first time I saw Elsa's Ice Palace!" Kristoff chuckled "It's best to just let it out, no point in trying to hold back those tears."

Ryder let the tears build in his eyes, sniffling. "It's amazing..."

Anna jumped out of the cart, "Let's go inside. They'd better be in there and they'd better be okay..."

Kristoff nodded “yeah I hope so too. But I’m gonna let you go first in case they are doing... um... activities.”

Anna rolled her eyes, "If that's what they've been doing all this time, I swear I will tell Olaf and he will pester her about it for the rest of her life..." She made her way up the stairs and hesitated at the closed door, then pushed it open. "Elsa? Honeymaren?" When she got no response, she stepped inside and found... A strange thing. It looked like a swing of some kind. The closer she looked, the more she realized she did not want to be looking that closely. Anna huffed and darted up the stairs. "Elsa!"

Kristoff stood outside, watching Anna make her way across the foyer to ascend the stairs “so... I bet you 5 silvers that they were just messing around all this time.” He tried to keep the mood light but mostly because he couldn’t imagine a worst case scenario.

Ryder snorted and shook his head, "From what I've seen of the two of them... That would be pretty par for the course."

“Ugh... I’m glad you have to deal with them then!” Kristoff laughed deep and low in his chest. “they’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. Anna will find them in there and we can all go back home tonight.”

Anna ran up the stairs to where she knew Elsa’s bedroom would be, at least if she had designed this new palace like her first rendition. She threw the doors open and her heart stopped. Honeymaren was leaning over Elsa on the icy bed. The brunette looked like she was asleep but then she stirred and looked up, her eyes red and puffy.

“Anna? Oh Anna! Thank the spirits!” Honeymaren jumped up and hugged Anna quickly before grabbing her hand and leading her over to the bed. “I didn’t know what to do! We were just… uh… enjoying the Ice Palace and then she suddenly went into this trance-like state! She wakes up every so often but never long enough for me to move her or even tell her what’s happening! I can’t wake her up once she’s like this and I didn’t know how to call for help. Only she can summon Gale or the other spirits… I couldn’t leave her!” Honeymaren sobbed, unloading all of her pent up emotions. “Has this happened before? Is she...” she couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence, her sobs were becoming hysterical. 

Anna rushed to Elsa's side, taking her hand and feeling her pulse. It was still there, still strong. "She's okay. We just... Have to figure out how to wake her up. No matter what, we can't just leave her here. Come on, we've got the cart outside, we'll go back to the Northuldra and maybe Yelana will know something? Let's get her to the cart." Anna was in go-mode. It was Elsa at stake, there wasn't time for anything else.

Honeymaren nodded, taking a deep breath to try and center herself. "I can carry her, I just... I need help with the doors."

Anna nodded and opened the giant icy doors that led to the grand staircase. She was trying to stay strong and not break down but seeing her sister so helpless filled her with a hurt like she had never experienced before.

Honeymaren held Elsa's limp body in her arms, trying to keep it together. At least she wasn't alone now, at least Anna was here and they could move Elsa, get her back home. She followed her outside, relieved to see both Kristoff and Ryder with Sven and the cart. She gently set Elsa in the back of the cart and climbed in with her, "Okay, let's go."

Anna and Kristoff got the cart moving again, heading down the North Mountain. Ryder rode alongside on Wallace

Elsa’s eyes fluttered open, roused from her sleep by the lurching movement of the cart. “Honey?” Her voice was weak, raspy.

Honeymaren leaned in and took both of Elsa's hands. "I'm here. Anna, too. We're going to take you home."

Elsa gripped her hand softly “what’s happening?”

"You've been out of it, love. Like... Unconscious." Honeymaren couldn't hide her worry, "Stay with me this time, okay? Try to stay awake?"

Elsa furrowed her brow “I’ll try... it’s hard. There’s a pull... I think it’s a spirit thing. But it’s different. I’ve been having visions.”

Honeymaren nodded slowly, "Okay. So it's a spirit thing?" She wasn't sure if that was reassuring or not. "Tell me about it." Maybe if she kept her talking, she'd stay awake.

Elsa hummed, trying to remember “these visions, they aren’t like anything I’ve seen before, nothing like Ahtohallan. Beams of light and energy around me. Very abstract.” She closed her eyes “do we have any food? I’m rather hungry.”

Ryder overheard and quickly offered her a small bag, "Jerky?"

Honeymaren took the bag with a grateful smile and took out a few pieces to offer Elsa.

“Thank you.” Elsa chewed on the jerky quietly, resting her head on Honeymaren’s lap “how long have I been out?”

"A couple days." Honeymaren admitted softly. "I've been worried sick."

Elsa furrowed her brow “really? It didn’t feel that long. I’m so sorry Honey.”

Elsa did her best to stay awake but eventually her eyes slipped shut and she fell into another trance.

Honeymaren held Elsa close as they continued to make their way back to the tribe, moving as quickly as they could without tiring Sven.


	12. Chapter 12

The group rode in silence for several hours. Eventually Anna came down to the back of the cart and checked on Honeymaren and Elsa “how’s she doing?” She whispered quietly.

Honeymaren sighed, "She was awake for a while but she's under again."

Anna slumped against the wood frame “did she say anything?”

"It sounds like it's the spirits, somehow..." Honeymaren hesitated, "But it's strange. She can't seem to make much out from it."

Anna furrowed her brow "And this hasn't happened before? Hmmm... what changed? I mean, when she started hearing the call from Ahtohollan it was sudden, so maybe nothing happened to trigger it... I'm just trying to make sense of all of this."

"Me too." She sighed back, brushing some of Elsa's hair through her fingers. "I'm so glad you came, though. I thought about carrying her back myself, but it could've been dangerous alone."

Anna nodded "It would have. There are lots of wolves in the mountains. It was hard, but you did the right thing. Once we got the message from Yelana that you hadn't returned, we set out. If you had left we would have had no idea where to look."

Honeymaren nodded, "Doing nothing was the hardest thing in the world... I felt so helpless. I can't help but feel like this is somehow my fault..."

Anna shook her head "It's not your fault. I felt the same way when she pushed me away all those years ago, wondering if I had done something wrong. Wondering if things would have been different if I had acted differently... All I know is that her magic is different and sometimes I don’t understand it. All we can do is support her as she works through whatever it is."

Honeymaren looked down at Elsa, stroking her hair gently. "You're right. I know you're right, I just... Wish I could do more."

Anna nodded and put her hand on Honeymaren's shoulder "You do so much for her. I've never seen her so happy, so open... she's always had her icy walls up, but with you, we get to see the real Elsa."

Honeymaren smiled weakly at Anna, "Thank you..."

The party made the rest of the trip to the Enchanted Forest the next evening, taking only the briefest rest so that Sven didn’t get too tired. Ryder rode ahead on Wallace to find Yelana.

“Yelana! Yelana!!”

“Ryder, you’re back?” Yelana looked over his shoulder, her shoulders visibly sinking when she didn’t see Honeymaren and Elsa “You didn’t find them?”

Ryder shook his head “No, I found them, they’re with Anna and Kristoff in the wagon.”

Yelana gripped his shoulder to keep herself from sinking to the ground as she was flooded with relief. “Next time, start with that.”

Ryder knew better than to argue with the matriarch. “But there’s something wrong. Elsa’s… well, we don’t know. But something is definitely up. Mare says she fell into like a sleep and the few times that she has woken up she says she’s been having spirit visions.”

Yelana listened closely “I’ve never heard of such a thing. I will gather the other elders. How far away are they?”

“Maybe an hour?”

“You did good. Go get some food and rest, I’ll take it from here.”

“Thanks, Yel…” Ryder took the riding harness off of Wallace and let him wander off to find the herd and rest. He barely made it to his hut before collapsing onto his sleeping furs and was out in minutes.

Yelana used her time to gather the elders and also clear camp out. Whatever was wrong with the 5th spirit, she wanted to keep it contained for now. The last thing she wanted was there to be a panic among her people. The last time the spirits went to sleep they were shrouded in mist for almost 35 years. She was waiting with some of the other elders by the center of camp when the cart arrived. Kristoff and Honeymaren helped get Elsa out of the back, taking her quickly to her hut for care.

Elsa stirred in the dark, feeling the comfortable weight and warmth of her sleeping furs. 

“Honey?” she called out in the dark, her eyes unable to focus in the dim candlelit hut “Honey, are you there?” She turned her head when she heard the thick door flap move, a slight breeze as she felt someone shuffling next to her.

“I’m here, Elsa. We’re home. We’re back in the Enchanted Forest. The elders have done some inspections and tests to try to diagnose your condition, but there’s been little progress...” Honeymaren trailed off, her face betrayed her worry as the candlelight illuminated her expressions.

Elsa looked at her and reached over to take her hand “I don’t think there is anything you can do.”

Honeymaren’s face darkened “What do you mean?”

Elsa squeezed her hand “It will be okay… I think this is a spirit thing. I need to go to Ahtohallan.”

Honeymaren nodded slowly “Then we go to Ahtohallan.”

“Not ‘we.’ Me.” Elsa said definitively.

“Um excuse me. I don’t think so. Yes, this is a spirit thing, but we’re in this together, Elsa. What happens if you go into a trance again while crossing the sea? You’re always looking out for everyone else. Let someone look out for you. Please. I love you, Elsa.”

Elsa remained silent for a while then sighed and conceded “Fine. And I can’t help but feel like you play a part in this. I think you do need to be there.”

“When would you like to go? You should say goodbye to Anna, she and Kristoff are here.”

“Very well, but I cannot delay. I’m not sure how long it will be until I succumb to the darkness again. Can you help me up, love?”

Honeymaren nodded and pulled Elsa up to a sitting position, then to her feet “I brought you some broth, too. That should help you keep up your strength. Can you try to drink it while we move?”

Elsa nodded and held onto the small bowl, trusting Honeymaren to not drop her as they moved through camp.

Anna grinned and moved quickly to hug Elsa when she saw her but held back when she saw Honeymaren shake her head slightly “Oh Elsa! You frightened us. I’m glad to see you up and about.”

“Thank you, Anna. I’m sorry to have frightened you.” Elsa smiled weakly “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here, I need to get to Ahtohallan. It’s the source of my magic and I think I’ll find answers there.”

Anna looked between Elsa and Honeymaren “Okay… take care of her, Maren.” It hurt her heart, but she knew that she and Elsa were at a point where even though they were sisters, they had to be their own women. They’d always be there for one another, but they couldn’t keep relying on each other like they had been. They both had someone else in their corners to rely on now.

“I will” Honeymaren nodded.

Elsa pulled Anna into a quick hug “Thank you, sis. I love you.”

“Just, come back safe, okay? Kristoff and I will stay here until you do.”

Before long Honeymaren and Elsa made it to the shores of the Dark Sea, their journey aided by Gale and the Earth Giants. Once at the water, Elsa summoned Nokk and turned him to ice, just in case she fell asleep mid ride and he decided to slip beneath the waves. 

Honeymaren rode behind her, holding tight to keep her from falling off. She was excited and nervous. She had heard tales of the mystical river, and of course the stories that Elsa brought back from her time there, but she had never seen it before. Her eyes widened as the great columns of ice loomed into view. “Wowww…” she spoke with quiet reverence.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Honeymaren just nodded and held her hands out to help Elsa down. “So, where do we go now?”

Elsa smirked as she led the way into the main entrance, already feeling more alive than she had in the past many days “Hold on tight and trust me.” With a quick wave of her hand, she covered the soles of Honeymaren’s boots in ice and took off with a grin, pulling Honeymaren deep into the belly of the glacier. She knew each passage from memory now, leading them down toward the Hall of Memories. With a wave of her hand she made an ice slide across the chasm, she wasn’t willing to risk Honeymaren on the ice pillars she usually used.

Honeymaren was grinning from ear to ear as she slid behind Elsa, holding tight to her hand. She laughed as they both went sliding through the maze of ice, her eyes wide with wonder at the sheer beauty that surrounded her. Ahtohallan felt  _ alive _ around her. 

Elsa pulled them to a stop at the center of the icy dome. “We are here.”

Honeymaren looked around, the surface looked smooth but on closer inspection it looked like she was surrounded by a giant prism, countless surfaces of varying size and shape.

Elsa grinned and sang out the song of Ahtohallan, calling upon the spirit to show her what she needed.

Honeymaren shivered when the glacier responded with its own haunting melody but her attention was quickly drawn upward as swirls of light started dancing across the faces of ice. She noticed that Elsa was staring, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape “Elsa?”

“It’s… it’s never done this before. It usually shows me memories of times that have come and gone. But this… it’s different.”

“What is it?”

Elsa didn’t respond and held Honeymaren close to her, her eyes wet with tears.

“Elsa, what is it? Are you okay?” Honeymaren looked at her, worry in her eyes.

Elsa gasped as the lights above her started to coalesce into various scenes, scenes she had never seen before. “I think… I think it’s… the future.” 

Honeymaren’s eyes widened and she looked around “The future?” Her eyes settled on a scene of her and Elsa standing in a meadow, holding hands. “But that means…” 

“Yes…” Elsa whispered softly “I know. It will be okay, everything is going okay.” Her eyes watched intently as a small child wearing Northuldran leathers and long platinum blonde hair played in a swirl of leaves, hovering a few feet above the air, her soft brown eyes alight with joy. “I think my magic is being split and that’s why I keep passing out… Honeymaren, I think I’m pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks... this is the end... thank you for coming along for the ride, hope you enjoyed the story.  
> Also, implied lightly with the lights, but not explicitly stated, their daughter is the spirit of Light, specifically the Aurora.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. We hope you are enjoying it and please leave us comments!


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